SB 5936 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

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

510
Passed
Total votes 51
Feb 10, 2026
D Democratic31
31 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican20
20 Yea
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