Accommodating religious foods in state correctional facilities.
SB 5131 requires Washington state correctional facilities to make reasonable efforts to accommodate religious celebration meals for incarcerated individuals. It mandates coordination with nonprofit organizations to provide these meals at no cost to residents, excluding any optional meal enhancements. The bill sets a 45-day maximum deadline for planning meals, barring supply chain issues, and explicitly states that facilities must not charge incarcerated people for the core religious meal. This policy directly affects all incarcerated individuals in state facilities seeking to observe religious dietary practices.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 12, 2026
Last action Jan 12, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Bill
→
Substitute Bill
·
4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to broaden its focus from strictly 'religious diets' to 'religious celebrations,' allowing for a wider range of cultural and faith-based events. The amendment also extends the deadline for organizing these events from 30 to 45 days and clarifies that the cost exemption applies only to the main meal, not enhancements.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded from accommodating only specific religious dietary restrictions to accommodating a broader range of religious celebrations and events.
SCOPE
The primary subject changed from 'religious diets' to 'religious celebrations,' broadening the bill to cover cultural events and practices beyond just food consumption.
TIMELINE
The maximum advance deadline for organizing sponsored meals was increased from 30 days to 45 days to provide more planning time.
REQUIREMENT
The requirement for free provision was clarified to exclude 'meal enhancements,' meaning the incarcerated person may now be charged for extra items added to the celebration meal.
The language regarding supply chain issues was added as a potential exception to the deadline requirements.
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
9
Key actions
3
Committee
3
Jan 12, 2026
Introduced
By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
upper
Jan 22, 2025
Upper · Passed
Minority; do not pass.
upper
Jan 22, 2025
Upper · Passed
Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Human Services at 8:00 AM.
upper
Jan 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Human Services at 1:30 PM.
upper
1 primary · 9 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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