Heat response plans

AN ACT Relating to requiring counties to develop and implement 1
heat response plans; amending RCW 70.05.060; and adding a new section 2
to chapter 36.70A RCW. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 36.70A 5
RCW to read as follows: 6
(1) By July 1, 2027, each county planning under this chapter must 7
create and adopt an extreme heat response plan. Plans must be 8
developed by the county local board of health or health district in 9
cooperation with the public health and emergency departments of the 10
cities within the county. 11
(2) Each extreme heat response plan must, at a minimum:12
(a) Include planning for both immediate response during an 13
extreme heat event and for long-term adaptation strategies to 14
mitigate extreme heat events in the future, and ensure that such 15
planning includes adequate cooling strategies beyond the use of 16
cooling centers; 17
(b) Include planning for mitigating harms to, and prioritize the 18
protection of, high-risk populations including, but not limited to, 19
those 65 years of age or older, outdoor workers, medically vulnerable 20
H-2575.2
HOUSE BILL 2183
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Parshley, Hall, Mena, Leavitt, Stearns, Ryu,
Doglio, Callan, Ramel, Reed, Cortes, Wylie, Ormsby, Berg, Thai,
Macri, Fosse, Pollet, and Salahuddin
Prefiled 12/22/25. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee
on Local Government.
p. 1 HB 2183
individuals, pregnant women, children under six years of age, and 1
households making 80 percent or less of the area median income;2
(c) Identify any actions necessary to establish partnerships with 3
federally recognized Indian tribes and urban Indian health 4
organizations within the county in planning and responding to extreme 5
heat events; 6
(d) Implement outreach programs to educate county residents about 7
extreme heat risks and mitigation measures; 8
(e) Implement community engagement strategies for early warning 9
systems and public messaging before heat events; 10
(f) Recommend adaptation strategies for buildings, including 11
plans for government assistance such as subsidies and incentives for 12
heat pumps, portable cooling units, and passive heat mitigation, as 13
well as recommendations for private individual adaptations;14
(g) Develop protocols for heat-related medical emergencies, 15
including crisis management of care in coordination with health care 16
providers and emergency responders; 17
(h) Ensure that the county acknowledges the limitations of 18
cooling centers and has adequate cooling strategies beyond such 19
centers; 20
(i) Ensure that the heat response plans are integrated within 21
existing emergency response frameworks; and 22
(j) Implement measures to collect data on and to monitor heat-23
related illnesses, mortality, and the effectiveness of interventions 24
to prevent illness and mortality. 25
(3) Counties that have, prior to the effective date of this 26
section, adopted extreme heat response plans that substantially 27
comply with the requirements of this section are not subject to the 28
adoption deadline in subsection (1) of this section.29
(4) After adoption of an extreme heat response plan, each county 30
must review and, if necessary, revise its heat response plan at the 31
time of its comprehensive plan update required under RCW 36.70A.130.32
Sec. 2. RCW 70.05.060 and 1991 c 3 s 308 are each amended to 33
read as follows: 34
Each local board of health shall have supervision over all 35
matters pertaining to the preservation of the life and health of the 36
people within its jurisdiction and shall: 37
(1) Enforce through the local health officer or the 38
administrative officer appointed under RCW 70.05.040, if any, the 39
p. 2 HB 2183
public health statutes of the state and rules promulgated by the 1
state board of health and the secretary of health; 2
(2) Supervise the maintenance of all health and sanitary measures 3
for the protection of the public health within its jurisdiction;4
(3) Enact such local rules and regulations as are necessary in 5
order to preserve, promote and improve the public health and provide 6
for the enforcement thereof; 7
(4) Provide for the control and prevention of any dangerous, 8
contagious or infectious disease within the jurisdiction of the local 9
health department; 10
(5) Provide for the prevention, control and abatement of 11
nuisances detrimental to the public health; 12
(6) Make such reports to the state board of health through the 13
local health officer or the administrative officer as the state board 14
of health may require; ((and))15
(7) Develop an extreme heat response plan as required in section 16
1 of this act; and17
(8) Establish fee schedules for issuing or renewing licenses or 18
permits or for such other services as are authorized by the law and 19
the rules of the state board of health: PROVIDED, That such fees for 20
services shall not exceed the actual cost of providing any such 21
services. 22
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p. 3 HB 2183