This bill (H-0531.1 / House Bill 1331, read first time 01/16/25) amends RCW 9A.32.060 to add that a person is guilty of manslaughter in the first degree when they unlawfully deliver a controlled substance in violation of RCW 69.50.401(2)(a), (b), or (c), the substance is later used by the recipient, and that use results in the recipient’s death. It keeps the statute’s existing bases for first-degree manslaughter (recklessly causing death and intentionally and unlawfully killing an unborn quick child by injuring the mother) and specifies that manslaughter in the first degree is a class A felony. The bill also repeals RCW 69.50.415 (the controlled substances homicide penalty). The precise scope of the new offense depends on the content of RCW 69.50.401(2)(a)-(c), which is not provided here, and the text of the repealed RCW 69.50.415 is also not included, so the exact changes in language and penalty structure cannot be fully compared from the provided material. No effective date, sentencing ranges beyond the class A felony label, or transitional provisions are included in the extracted facts. The bill was referred to the Committee on Community Safety and sponsored by Representatives Low, Schmidt, Couture, Caldier, and Barnard.

If enacted, this bill would make people who unlawfully deliver certain controlled substances (those described in RCW 69.50.401(2)(a)–(c)) potentially criminally liable for first-degree manslaughter, a class A felony, when the recipient later uses the substance and dies. That means sellers or givers of those drugs face higher-stakes criminal exposure and defendants arrested in such cases are likely to face more serious charges than for simple drug distribution. Prosecutors, public defenders, judges, and the corrections system could see a shift in charging and case severity that may increase workloads, courtroom time, and potential prison sentences, with corresponding costs and risks for defendants. Key implementation details are missing here: the bill does not show which substances or delivery acts RCW 69.50.401(2)(a)–(c) covers, it repeals the existing controlled-substances-homicide provision (RCW 69.50.415) without showing that text, and it provides no sentencing ranges or effective date, so the exact practical change in penalties and system impact is unclear.