Enacting the uniform consumer debt default judgments act.
SB 5720 establishes new rules for default judgments in consumer debt collection cases in Washington State. It requires creditors to include specific details in their lawsuits, such as the last payment date, outstanding balance, and itemized fees, before a court can issue a judgment when a defendant doesn’t respond. The bill also mandates that creditors provide consumers with a clear notice warning them that a default judgment could be entered, remain enforceable for up to 20 years, and impact credit even after expiration. This directly affects consumers with personal debts (like credit cards or medical bills) and creditors/debt collectors seeking to collect unpaid obligations. The law applies to unsecured consumer debts and certain secured debts but excludes government collections or property repossession actions.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Mar 2026
Introduced Jan 12, 2026
Signed Mar 18, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Substitute Bill
→
Substitute Passed Legislature
·
2 edits
MINOR
The document was updated from a draft version to the final certified version of the bill after passing both legislative chambers. The primary change is the addition of the official certification text, including vote counts and signatures, which confirms the bill is now law.
ENFORCEMENT
Added the official certification block confirming the bill passed the Senate and House with specific vote counts and dates.
TECHNICAL
Included the title 'CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT' and signatures for the Secretary of the Senate and Secretary of State to validate the bill as enacted law.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 5, 2026 · House Mar 4, 2026
How they voted
49–0
Passed · 2 other
Total votes 51
Feb 5, 2026
D
Democratic31
93% Yea
R
Republican20
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
27
Key actions
11
Committee
7
Mar 18, 2026
Signed into law
Governor signed.
executive
Mar 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Speaker signed.
lower
Mar 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
President signed.
upper
Mar 4, 2026
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (95-1-4)
house
Feb 25, 2026
Committee
Referred to Rules 2 Review.
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
CRJ - Majority; do pass.
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
Executive action taken in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary at 10:30 AM.
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Public hearing in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary at 8:00 AM.
lower
Feb 5, 2026
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (49-0-2)
senate
Jan 22, 2026
Upper · Passed
Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 10:30 AM.
upper
Jan 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 10:30 AM.
upper
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 Law & Justice at 10:30 AM.
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about SB 5720
Scope: WA
Hi! I can help you understand SB 5720. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline