This bill adds a new section to chapter 28B.50 RCW and amends RCW 42.52.120 to allow institutions of higher education to give small gifts of appreciation to general or limited authority Washington peace officers for delivering presentations in specified criminal justice courses (criminal justice associate, law enforcement, police science, financial forensics and fraud, and forensic science and technology). Gifts are allowed only when the presentation occurs outside the officer’s official duties and are limited to $25 in value per individual. The amendment to RCW 42.52.120 creates an explicit exemption stating that the chapter’s ethics restrictions do not prevent such gifts when provided in accordance with the new higher education section. The bill also includes a procedural change requiring that a state officer or employee who is awarded a contract or issued a grant in compliance with the cited subsection must file that contract or grant with the appropriate ethics board within 30 days after execution. The bill references definitions in other statutes (RCW 28B.10.016, RCW 10.93.020) and cites a September 2024 workforce needs assessment by the Washington state board of community and technical colleges. Some details are not included in the provided text: the new section’s specific RCW number is not shown, the exact statutory definitions and related provisions referenced are not provided, no effective date for the changes is included, and the referenced workforce report is not included.

If enacted, colleges and universities in Washington could give small "gifts of appreciation" (no more than $25 per person) to general or limited authority Washington peace officers who give guest presentations in specific criminal justice courses, as long as the presentation is done outside the officer’s official duties. This change removes an ethics barrier and makes it easier and cheaper for campuses to invite off‑duty officers to speak, while officers face lower risk of an ethics violation when accepting these small tokens. The most affected parties are institutions of higher education and the peace officers who guest lecture in criminal justice programs; institutions will incur modest per‑presentation costs and should ensure the $25 limit and off‑duty condition are followed. The amendment also adds a 30‑day filing requirement with the appropriate ethics board for any state officer or employee who is awarded a contract or grant under the referenced subsection, but the bill text you provided does not include that subsection, the exact definitions of terms, or an effective date, so some implementation details remain unclear.