HB 2397 Washington House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Requiring timely reimbursement of state agencies and local jurisdictions mobilized under the Washington state fire services mobilization plan.

HB 2397 requires the Washington State Patrol to create procedures ensuring state agencies and local jurisdictions (like counties or cities) that are mobilized under the state fire services plan for wildfire response receive reimbursement within 60 days. This replaces the vague "as timely as possible" standard with a specific deadline, using documentation requirements from the fire services plan. The bill mandates collaboration with the Office of Financial Management and the Washington Military Department to establish these reimbursement processes. It directly affects fire service agencies and local governments that deploy resources during wildfire incidents.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Feb 9, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Bill Substitute Bill · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was renumbered from H-2831.1 to H-3259.1 and updated to reflect its status as a substitute bill with a new reading date. The primary policy change adds a specific requirement that reimbursement to mobilized agencies must occur within 60 days of the Patrol receiving complete documentation, rather than just within 60 days of the mobilization ending. This change ensures that the reimbursement timeline is tied to the administrative completion of paperwork, preventing delays caused by missing or inaccurate data.
TIMELINE

The deadline for reimbursement was clarified to start counting from the date the Washington State Patrol receives complete documentation, rather than the date the mobilization concludes.

TECHNICAL

The bill number was updated from H-2831.1 to H-3259.1.

The bill title was updated to indicate it is a 'Substitute House Bill' and the reading date was changed to 01/30/26.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement for reimbursement now explicitly mandates that the documentation provided must be complete and accurate as defined by the mobilization plan.

Floor votes

How they voted

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
10
Key actions
5
Committee
7
Feb 9, 2026
Committee
Referred to Rules 2 Review.
lower
Feb 7, 2026
Lower · Passed
Minority; without recommendation.
lower
Feb 7, 2026
Lower · Passed
Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations at 9:00 AM.
lower
Feb 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 10:30 AM.
lower
Jan 30, 2026
Committee
Referred to Appropriations.
lower
Jan 28, 2026
Lower · Passed
Executive action taken in the House Committee on Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans at 8:00 AM.
lower
Jan 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Public hearing in the House Committee on Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans at 10:30 AM.
lower
1 primary · 3 co-sponsors

Sponsors