SB 5426 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Improving developmentally appropriate alternatives for youth outside the formal court process.

SB 5426 expands access to non-court alternatives for youth in Washington state by requiring courts to offer standardized diversion programs. It defines community-based rehabilitation services (like counseling, education, or restorative justice programs) and sets requirements for residential treatment referrals. The bill mandates data tracking to monitor diversion effectiveness across counties, addressing inconsistent access to these programs. These changes aim to reduce reliance on formal court processing for youth offenders while improving accountability.

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 · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered from S-0742.1 to S-1122.1 and updated to reflect sponsorship by the Senate Human Services committee. A key substantive change involves the handling of diversion agreements: the requirement for a signed acknowledgment of rights advisement was moved outside of parentheses, making it an active, enforceable mandate rather than a deleted suggestion. Additionally, the bill now explicitly authorizes state grants to local governments for community-based programs, including victim support and barrier removal, and establishes a new grant program within the office of juvenile justice to fund youth diversion initiatives.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include explicit state funding mechanisms for community-based diversion programs and victim support, moving beyond just establishing standards for local operations.

FISCAL

Added explicit authorization for the state to make grants to local governments for community-based programs, victim compensation, and barrier removal.

Created a new grant program within the office of juvenile justice to support community-based programs that divert youth from the justice system.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the legal status of the signed acknowledgment of rights advisement from a deleted provision to an active requirement that must be obtained from the juvenile.

TIMELINE

Updated the bill's read date from January 22, 2025, to February 6, 2025, and changed the header from original Senate Bill to Substitute Bill.

TECHNICAL

Reassigned sponsorship from individual senators to the Senate Human Services committee.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 12, 2026

Introduced

By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

upper

Feb 13, 2025

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 4:00 PM.

upper

Feb 6, 2025

Committee

Referred to Ways & Means.

upper

Feb 5, 2025

Committee

And refer to Ways & Means.

upper

Feb 5, 2025

Upper · Passed

Minority; do not pass.

upper

Feb 5, 2025

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Human Services at 8:00 AM.

upper

Jan 29, 2025

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Human Services at 8:00 AM.

upper

1 primary · 6 co-sponsors