Concerning prevention of and remedies for human trafficking.
SB 5936 holds businesses accountable for human trafficking by allowing prosecution if they knowingly engage in trafficking or fail to stop it when aware of a pattern benefiting the business. Businesses found liable face penalties including fines up to $1 million per offense, disgorgement of profits, and debarment from government contracts. The bill strengthens victim confidentiality in trafficking cases, requiring law enforcement to keep victim identities, images, and family information private unless disclosure is necessary for investigation, court orders, or victim services. It also updates existing laws to expand exemptions for victim information in public records, particularly protecting children in sexual exploitation cases.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House Passage
Governor
Introduced Dec 23, 2025
Last action Mar 12, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Bill
→
Substitute Bill
·
4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to reflect its progression from initial introduction to a substitute version after committee review. The primary substantive change is the addition of a new section requiring law enforcement agencies to provide specific immigration forms to trafficking victims who qualify for T or U nonimmigrant visas or continued presence. Minor technical adjustments include updating the bill title to reflect the new immigration protocol, changing the sponsor attribution to the Senate Law & Justice Committee, and correcting the first reading date.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded to include a mandatory protocol for law enforcement to assist trafficking victims with federal immigration applications, whereas the original version did not contain this specific requirement.
REQUIREMENT
Added a new section requiring certifying agencies to provide specific federal immigration forms (I-914 supplement B or I-918 supplement B) to trafficking victims upon request to facilitate their visa applications.
TECHNICAL
Updated the bill title to include 'amending RCW 7.98.020' to reflect the new immigration protocol section.
Changed the sponsor attribution from a list of individual senators to 'Senate Law & Justice' to indicate committee referral.
TIMELINE
Corrected the first reading date from 01/12/26 to 01/23/26.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 10, 2026
How they voted
51–0
Passed
Total votes 51
Feb 10, 2026
D
Democratic31
100% Yea
R
Republican20
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
18
Key actions
6
Committee
6
Feb 25, 2026
Committee
Referred to Rules 2 Review.
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
CS - Majority; do pass.
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
Executive action taken in the House Committee on Community Safety at 4:00 PM.
lower
Feb 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Public hearing in the House Committee on Community Safety at 1:30 PM.
lower
Feb 10, 2026
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (51-0)
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
1 primary · 5 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about SB 5936
Scope: WA
Hi! I can help you understand SB 5936. 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