This bill creates a new section in chapter 4.24 RCW that provides civil liability protection for acts or omissions made in good faith while performing the "core aspects" of a community-based public safety program. The protection applies to the program itself and to volunteers, agents, officers, or employees acting within the scope of their responsibilities when the program serves a person experiencing a behavioral health crisis, has complex behavioral health needs, or has a history of legal system involvement. The bill defines "community-based public safety program" as organizations offering community-based responses to public order issues as alternatives to jail and prosecution for unlawful behavior linked to unmanaged substance use, mental health challenges, or extreme poverty, and lists core aspects such as outreach, case management, shelter and housing services, travel among worksites, client transport, and aftercare functions. The liability shield explicitly does not apply to acts or omissions that constitute gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct. This is a new statutory provision added to chapter 4.24 RCW (labeled "NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.") under House Bill 1897 (H-1069.1), 69th Legislature, 2025 Regular Session, read for the first time on 02/07/25 and referred to the Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary. The extracted text does not specify an effective date, an exact RCW section number beyond a new section in chapter 4.24, or procedural, enforcement, or interaction details with other statutes.

If enacted, organizations that run community-based responses as alternatives to jail — and the staff, volunteers, and contractors who do outreach, case management, shelter and housing work, transport clients, travel between worksites, or provide aftercare — would face lower legal risk for honest mistakes or omissions made while doing those core tasks. That reduced liability exposure will likely make it easier for programs to operate and expand services for people in behavioral health crisis or with complex needs, because program leaders and their funders would have a clearer expectation that routine, good-faith actions are protected from suit; however, serious misconduct or grossly negligent acts would still carry legal risk. The law would directly affect program operators, their employees and volunteers, and organizations under contract with locally, state, or federally funded programs by changing their risk calculations and possibly lowering the threat of litigation-related costs and interruptions. Important implementation details are missing from the provided text—there’s no effective date, no enforcement guidance, and no explanation of how this new section will interact with other statutes—so the timing and full practical reach of the protection are uncertain.