Public official notification

AN ACT Relating to protecting elected officials from political 1
violence by creating the statewide emergency public official 2
notification system; reenacting and amending RCW 38.52.520; adding 3
new sections to chapter 38.52 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 4
42.56 RCW; and creating a new section. 5
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:6
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. On June 14, 2025, Minnesota house of 7
representatives speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman of the democratic 8
caucus and her husband Mark Hortman were stalked and murdered. On 9
that same day, Minnesota state senator of the democratic caucus John 10
Hoffman and his wife Yvette Hoffman were stalked and shot by the same 11
alleged individual who murdered representative Hortman and her 12
husband.13
It is the intent of the legislature to streamline more efficient 14
communication and prevent needless violence by creating an optional 15
emergency notification system for public officials. This system will 16
alert all public officials as soon as practicable when any enrolled 17
public official contacts a 911 emergency communications system and 18
upon confirmation of a targeted threat to any public official. Had an 19
emergency notification system been implemented in Minnesota, senator 20
Hoffman and his wife could have been notified of representative 21
S-3533.1
SENATE BILL 5853
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Senators J. Wilson, Holy, Lovelett, McCune, Wagoner, Dozier,
Torres, Short, Warnick, Braun, Nobles, Bateman, Fortunato, Frame, and
Trudeau
Prefiled 12/08/25. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee
on State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections.
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Hortman and her husband's murder and taken whatever precautions 1
necessary to avoid harm. 2
Therefore, this statewide emergency public official notification 3
system promotes more efficient communication under urgent 4
circumstances to share substantive and useful information between 5
first responders and public officials. This will prevent needless 6
violence and promote safety for all of Washington's public figures in 7
the years to come. 8
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 38.52 9
RCW to read as follows: 10
(1) The secretary of state, with the assistance of the military 11
department, shall establish a statewide emergency public official 12
notification system that: 13
(a) Notifies all public officials that they may voluntarily 14
enroll in the statewide emergency public official notification 15
system. The secretary of state must: 16
(i) Provide enrollment information about the emergency public 17
official notification system to all newly elected public officials 18
within 30 days of the commencement of their term; and19
(ii) Provide enrollment information about the emergency public 20
official notification system to all current public officials within 21
30 days of the effective date of this section; 22
(b) Maintains a database of public officials who have voluntarily 23
enrolled in the statewide emergency public official notification 24
system; and 25
(c) Provides emergency notification to all public officials as 26
soon as practicable when any enrolled public official contacts a 911 27
emergency communications system and upon confirmation of a targeted 28
threat to any public official, enrolled or not. This emergency 29
notification must not include the name, address, or personal 30
information of the individuals who contact the 911 emergency 31
communications system and likewise any individuals targeted.32
(2) The secretary of state, with the assistance of the military 33
department, shall ensure that information submitted to the statewide 34
emergency public official notification system is shared with the 35
statewide 911 emergency communications system as defined in RCW 36
82.14B.020, to be contained in a database that is intended for the 37
purpose of display at a public safety answering point with incoming 38
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911 voice or data, which is exempt from public inspection and copying 1
under chapter 42.56 RCW. 2
(3) The secretary of state shall establish rules and procedures 3
for: 4
(a) Enrollment in the statewide emergency public official 5
notification system; 6
(b) Notification of public officials of enrollment eligibility;7
(c) Emergency notification of all public officials in the event 8
of a 911 emergency communication by an enrolled public official; and9
(d) Data storage which must be in compliance with existing data 10
protection practices used by law enforcement and the secretary of 11
state. 12
(4) For the purposes of this section, "public official" means a 13
person holding office under a city, county, or state government, or 14
the federal government who performs a public function and in so doing 15
is vested with the exercise of some sovereign power of government, 16
and includes all assistants, deputies, clerks, and employees of any 17
public officer and all persons lawfully exercising or assuming to 18
exercise any of the powers or functions of a public officer.19
Sec. 3. RCW 38.52.520 and 2022 c 286 s 6 and 2022 c 203 s 9 are 20
each reenacted and amended to read as follows: 21
A state 911 coordination office, headed by the state 911 22
coordinator, is established in the emergency management division of 23
the department. Duties of the office include: 24
(1) Administering the 911 account established in RCW 38.52.540;25
(2) Seeking advice and assistance from, and providing staff 26
support for the 911 advisory committee; 27
(3) Providing and supporting 911 emergency communications 28
systems, which may include procurement, funding, ownership, and 29
management; 30
(4) Assisting the counties and Washington state patrol public 31
safety answering points by distributing state 911 emergency 32
communications system funding within the priorities identified in RCW 33
38.52.545. When designated as a primary public safety answering point 34
by the county, the state 911 coordination office may provide funding 35
for Washington state patrol public safety answering point 911 36
emergency communications systems; 37
(5) Develop forms, submission dates, and methods as necessary for 38
all public safety answering points to submit reports;39
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(6) Providing staff support and assistance to the certification 1
board established under RCW 38.60.030 that includes, but may not be 2
limited to: 3
(a) Establishing forms and procedures necessary to administer 4
chapter 38.60 RCW; 5
(b) Issuing a public safety telecommunicator registration and 6
certification to any applicant who has met the requirements for 7
certification under chapter 38.60 RCW; and 8
(c) Maintaining the official record for the department of all 9
applicants and persons with registrations and certificates under 10
chapter 38.60 RCW; 11
(7) Recommending to the utilities and transportation commission 12
by August 31st of each year the level of the state 911 emergency 13
communications system excise tax established in RCW 82.14B.030(5) for 14
the following year; 15
(8) Establishing rules that: 16
(a) Determine eligible components of the 911 emergency 17
communications system, its administration, and operation that the 18
state and county 911 excise taxes, under RCW 82.14B.030, may be used 19
to fund; 20
(b) Determine how appropriated funds from the state 911 account 21
shall be distributed, considering the baseline level of 911 emergency 22
communications system service needs of individual counties and 23
county-designated Washington state patrol primary public safety 24
answering points for specific assistance; and 25
(c) Specify statewide 911 emergency communications system and 26
service standards, consistent with applicable state and federal law. 27
The authority given to the state 911 coordinator in this section is 28
limited to setting standards as set forth in this section and does 29
not constitute authority to regulate radio communications service 30
companies or interconnected voice over internet protocol service 31
companies; ((and))32
(9) Annually providing a complete report to the 911 advisory 33
committee on: 34
(a) Efforts to modernize their existing 911 emergency 35
communications system; 36
(b) All public safety answering points expenditures for 37
administrative and operational costs and expenses of the 911 38
emergency communications system; and 39
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(c) Any additional data that may be identified by the 911 1
advisory committee; and2
(10) Providing data and information to the secretary of state 3
when any public official enrolled in the statewide emergency public 4
official notification system contacts a 911 emergency communications 5
system and upon confirmation of a targeted threat to any public 6
official as provided in section 2 of this act. 7
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 38.52 8
RCW to read as follows: 9
(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, records 10
maintained by the secretary of state and military department for the 11
statewide emergency public official notification system is exempt 12
from public inspection and copying under section 5 of this act.13
(2) Information maintained by the secretary of state for the 14
statewide emergency public official notification system may be 15
provided to a public official upon a request for inspection.16
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. A new section is added to chapter 42.56 17
RCW to read as follows: 18
All or part of any records, reports, data, or information 19
contained therein maintained by the secretary of state and military 20
department for the statewide emergency public official notification 21
system under chapter 38.52 RCW are exempt from disclosure under this 22
chapter, except as provided in section 4(2) of this act.23
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