The Washington State Department of Corrections' Office of Executive Policy houses the unique agency area of legislative policy.
Legislative policy is responsible for reviewing, monitoring, and tracking legislative proposals that are crafted and considered by the Washington State Legislature. Further responsibilities include liaison work with the elected member of the state legislature as well as staff, and reconciliation of Revised Code of Washington (RCW) with Washington Administrative Code (WAC) and agency policy.
Legislative Session
The Washington State Legislature is a bipartisan, bicameral body, composed of the Washington House of Representatives, with 98 representatives, and the Washington State Senate, with 49 senators plus the Lieutenant Governor acting as President. The state is divided into 49 legislative districts, each of which elect one senator and two representatives.
The Legislature annually begins the legislative session on the second Monday in January. In odd-numbered years, when the state budget is debated upon, the State Legislature meets for 105 days, and in even-numbered years for 60 days. The Governor of Washington, if necessary, can call legislators for a special session (30-day period) at any time in the year. Legislators can also call themselves into special session by a two-thirds vote by both the House of Representatives and the State Senate.
Legislative Presentations & Documents
The following represents links to legislative committees at which agency-issued presentations and documents were provided.
- Department of Corrections Overview – Correctional Issues (1/16/2019)
- Solitary Confinement in Washington's State and Local Correctional and Detention Facilities – Restrictive Housing (3/5/2019)
2024 Legislative Priorities
The Department of Corrections, along with all state agencies, were encouraged to focus on legislation that promotes the Governor's priorities and only advance proposals that are well developed, timely and important, but more importantly this session proposals should only be for policy and spending items that have limited fiscal impacts.
- 2024 Agency Legislative & Budget Highlights
- Visit https://abr.ofm.wa.gov/ to view the Department of Corrections agency budget requests. Select the '2024 Supplemental' budget session, then select 'Department of Corrections'.
Bills – Agency Impact
View the list of 2024 legislative bills passed that may impact the agency's operations.
Looking Ahead to 2025 and Beyond
As we look ahead to the 2025 Legislative Session, we anticipate continued collaboration and partnership with our stakeholders to advance policies that include reducing the use of solitary confinement, ensuring the health and well-being of incarcerated individuals and staff, and improving reentry services to reduce recidivism rates. We remain steadfast in our commitment to advocate for policy and budget initiatives that positively impact our staff and the population we serve.
Resources
Policies
Laws & Regulations
Publications & Job Aids
- Agency Legislative & Budget Highlights
- Bills with Impact to the Washington State Department of Corrections
Resource Links
- Bill Status Report
- How to Read a Bill
- How a Bill Becomes a Law
- Overview of the Legislative Process
- Email Notification Sign-Up for Legislative Committee Schedules
- View Legislative Hearings on TVW
- Session Cutoff Calendar
- Washington State Legislatures
Bills by Topic
- Detailed Legislative Reports - Topical Index
- Clemency and Pardons Board
- Correctional Facilities and Jails
- Corrections, Department
- Crimes
- Criminal Offenders
- Sex Offenses and Offenders
Legislative Committees
- House Appropriations
- House Public Safety
- Senate Human Services, Reentry & Rehabilitation
- Senate Law & Justice
- Ways & Means