House Bill 1954 creates a new criminal offense called "destruction of critical communications infrastructure," defined to include causing physical or cyber harm to communications infrastructure that delivers voice, video, or data services and thereby damaging or rendering those services inoperable. The bill designates that offense a class C felony, adds the offense to the statutory definition of "criminal profiteering" by amending RCW 9A.82.010, and reenacts and amends RCW 9.94A.515 to include the new offense in the Table 2 sentencing seriousness-level list. The bill also adds a new civil cause of action in chapter 9A.56 RCW permitting a person or business that sustains injury to person, business, or property from such an act to sue in superior court for damages and suit costs, including reasonable investigative and attorney fees. Superior courts are identified as the forum for those civil actions, and the state sentencing framework administered under RCW 9.94A.515 is adjusted to account for the new offense. The available text is incomplete: the full statutory language of section 2 (the detailed elements, exceptions, and exact placement in chapter 9A.56) is truncated, the full reenacted and amended text of RCW 9.94A.515 is not included, and additional penalty or sentencing details beyond the class C felony designation and inclusion in Table 2 are not provided. The bill was prefiled 02/11/2025 and read for the first time 02/12/2025.

If enacted, the bill makes it a class C felony to physically or cyberly damage communications infrastructure that provides voice, video, or data services and adds that offense into the state’s criminal-profiling/sentencing framework and the list of crimes that can support criminal profiteering claims. People or businesses harmed by such acts would gain a new right to sue in superior court for damages and to recover suit costs, including reasonable investigative and attorney fees, so perpetrators face both criminal prosecution and private civil liability. The most affected parties will be perpetrators (who now face felony charges and added exposure in profiteering-related civil actions), victims and service providers (who can seek compensated recovery of losses and legal costs), and superior courts and prosecutors (likely increased criminal and civil caseloads). The bill text available here is incomplete about the full statutory elements, any exceptions, the exact placement or seriousness ranking in the sentencing table, and other penalty details, so some operational impacts and remedies remain unclear.