WA House approves landmark legislation to update + strengthen qualifications and accountability for sheriffs and chiefs
After a lengthy, drawn-out evening floor debate, the Washington House of Representatives has voted to pass a landmark bill that will update and strengthen professional qualifications and accountability standards for all sheriffs, police chiefs, and town marshals in the Evergreen State. The House’s action returns the bill to the Senate for concurrence, bringing it a major step closer to Governor Ferguson’s desk.
Passage of Senate Bill 5974 is one of NPI’s top priorities for the 2026 legislative session. Our most recent Civic Heartbeat poll, which fielded at the end of last month, found that 75% of likely 2026 Washington voters support this legislation, with only 18% opposed and 4% not sure. Though it is extremely popular and backed by a firm majority of Republican voters, no Republican legislators were willing to support it. Instead, they tried their hardest to dissuade Democrats from even bringing it up, filing over fifty amendments on it to force the House debate to drag on and on and on into the night.
Democrats patiently voted down their attempts to weaken the bill and it passed at 1:21 AM with 54 yeas and 42 nays. Only a few amendments were taken, including a striker offered by Representative Roger Goodman (D‑45th District: East King County) who represents NPI’s hometown. Here’s the roll call on final passage in the House:
Roll Call
SB 5974
Local law enforcement
Final Passage as Amended by the House
3/5/2026
Yeas: 54; Nays: 42; Excused: 2
Voting Yea: Representatives Berg (D‑44), Bergquist (D‑11), Bernbaum (D‑24), Berry (D‑36), Bronoske (D‑28), Callan (D‑5), Cortes (D‑38), Davis (D‑32), Doglio (D‑22), Donaghy (D‑44), Duerr (D‑1), Entenman (D‑47), Farivar (D‑46), Fey (D‑27), Fitzgibbon (D‑34), Fosse (D‑38), Goodman (D‑45), Gregerson (D‑33), Hackney (D‑11), Hall (D‑5), Hill (D‑3), Kloba (D‑1), Lekanoff (D‑40), Macri (D‑43), Mena (D‑29), Morgan (D‑29), Nance (D‑23), Obras (D‑33), Ormsby (D‑3), Ortiz-Self (D‑21), Parshley (D‑22), Paul (D‑10), Peterson (D‑21), Pollet (D‑46), Ramel (D‑40), Reed (D‑36), Reeves (D‑30), Rule (D‑42), Ryu (D‑32), Salahuddin (D‑48), Santos (D‑37), Scott (D‑43), Simmons (D‑23), Springer (D‑45), Stearns (D‑47), Stonier (D‑49), Street (D‑37), Taylor (D‑30), Thai (D‑41), Thomas (D‑34), Timmons (D‑42), Wylie (D‑49), Zahn (D‑41), Jinkins (D‑27)
Voting Nay: Representatives Abbarno (R‑20), Abell (R‑7), Barkis (R‑2), Barnard (R‑8), Burnett (R‑12), Chase (R‑4), Connors (R‑8), Corry (R‑15), Couture (R‑35), Dent (R‑13), Dufault (R‑15), Dye (R‑9), Engell (R‑7), Eslick (R‑39), Graham (R‑6), Griffey (R‑35), Jacobsen (R‑25), Keaton (R‑25), Klicker (R‑16), Leavitt (D‑28), Ley (R‑18), Low (R‑39), Manjarrez (R‑14), Marshall (R‑2), McClintock (R‑18), McEntire (R‑19), Mendoza (R‑14), Orcutt (R‑20), Penner (R‑31), Richards (D‑26), Rude (R‑16), Schmick (R‑9), Schmidt (R‑4), Shavers (D‑10), Steele (R‑12), Stokesbary (R‑31), Stuebe (R‑17), Volz (R‑6), Walen (D‑48), Walsh (R‑19), Waters (R‑17), Ybarra (R‑13)
Excused: Representatives Tharinger (D‑24), Valdez (R‑26)
https://www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2026/03/victory-wa-house-approves-landmark-legislation-to-update-strengthen-qualifications-and-accountability-for-sheriffs-and-chiefs.html