SB 5584 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Expanding the office of independent investigations to include prosecutions of criminal conduct.

SB 5584 establishes an independent prosecutor within the Washington State governor's office to review and prosecute cases where police use of deadly force results in death. The governor appoints a licensed attorney meeting strict qualifications (no criminal history involving dishonesty or bias, plus background checks) to decide whether to file charges and handle prosecutions in the governor's name. This office will operate alongside county prosecutors for these specific cases, report annually to the legislature on its work, and ensure victims' families are kept informed. The bill aims to create a standardized, impartial process for these sensitive cases, separate from local law enforcement oversight.

Issues: ✓ Criminal Justice

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

This bill fundamentally restructures the Office of Independent Investigations by moving the Independent Prosecutor from the Office of the Attorney General to the Office of the Governor. The new version limits the prosecutor's authority to cases resulting in death, removes the prosecutor's power to hire staff, and shifts prosecutorial decision-making to local county attorneys unless they recuse themselves due to a conflict of interest.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed from allowing the independent prosecutor to investigate and prosecute all use of force cases to only those resulting in death. Additionally, the prosecutor's authority to initiate prosecutions was removed, requiring them to refer cases to local prosecutors instead.

SCOPE

The Independent Prosecutor's jurisdiction was limited exclusively to use of deadly force cases that result in death, removing authority over cases involving non-fatal injuries.

ENFORCEMENT

The Independent Prosecutor lost the authority to hire staff, file criminal charges directly, or conduct trials; these powers were transferred to the Governor and local county prosecuting attorneys.

REQUIREMENT

Local county prosecuting attorneys are now required to recuse themselves and refer fatal use-of-force cases to the Independent Prosecutor if they have a conflict of interest or cannot remain impartial.

The appointment process for the Independent Prosecutor changed from being appointed by the Office Director to being appointed directly by the Governor.

DEFINITION

The bill was renumbered from Senate Bill 5584 to Substitute Senate Bill 5584, and the sponsor list was updated to reflect committee assignment.

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 7, 2025

Committee

On motion, referred to Ways & Means.

upper

Feb 6, 2025

Upper · Passed

Minority; do not pass.

upper

Feb 6, 2025

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 10:30 AM.

upper

Feb 4, 2025

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 8:00 AM.

upper

1 primary · 8 co-sponsors