HB 2146 Washington House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Combating sexual exploitation of minors.

HB 2146 defines and strengthens criminal penalties for sexual exploitation of minors in Washington State. It makes it a crime for anyone to force a minor into sexually explicit conduct for photos or live performances (section 1a), aid or invite minors into such situations (1b), or for parents/guardians to permit it (1c). The bill upgrades this offense to a class B felony under state law, increasing penalties. It directly affects minors who may be exploited, perpetrators of such acts, and caregivers who fail to protect minors. The law focuses on specific, concrete prohibitions rather than broader policy changes.

Issues: ✗ Criminal Justice

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Dec 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Dec 15, 2025 Last action Feb 4, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill → Substitute Bill · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered from H-2493.1 to H-3423.1 and updated to reflect its status as a substitute bill after committee review. The core legal definition of sexual exploitation of a minor was modified to add a new category of criminal liability for causing a minor to view sexually explicit conduct when that viewing is recorded or performed live, while removing an 'or' that previously separated the parent/guardian custody provision from the aiding/abetting provision.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to explicitly criminalize causing a minor to view sexually explicit conduct if that viewing is photographed or part of a live performance, whereas the original text grouped the parent/guardian custody offense separately without the 'or' connector.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a new provision making it a crime to aid, invite, employ, authorize, or cause a minor to view sexually explicit conduct when that viewing is photographed or part of a live performance.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the 'or' between the aiding/abetting clause and the parent/guardian custody clause, restructuring the list of prohibited acts.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill header number from H-2493.1 to H-3423.1 and changed the title from 'House Bill' to 'Substitute House Bill' to reflect legislative progress.

Updated the prefile and reading dates to reflect the current legislative session timeline.

Floor votes

How they voted

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 4, 2026

Committee

Referred to Appropriations.

lower

Feb 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Community Safety at 4:00 PM.

lower

Jan 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Community Safety at 1:30 PM.

lower

1 primary · 10 co-sponsors