This bill adds a new section to chapter 79.24 RCW that requires the names of Washington state law enforcement officers who are "ruled as dying in the line of duty under the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act of 2003, as determined by the United States Department of Justice" to be included on the Washington state law enforcement memorial. Once the U.S. Department of Justice makes such a determination under the Hometown Heroes Act of 2003, the officer's name must be added to the memorial at the memorial's first wall update following that determination. The provision is written to apply retroactively for five years to include officers who died in the line of duty on or after January 1, 2020. This is a new statutory provision (a new section in chapter 79.24 RCW) creating a procedural requirement for inclusion of certain names on the state law enforcement memorial. It does not create a new crime or change criminal penalties. The bill names the affected groups (eligible Washington law enforcement officers, the state memorial, and the U.S. Department of Justice as the determiner) and was referred to the Committee on Capital Budget; it was read for the first time on 02/19/25 and carries bill identifiers H-1509.1 and HOUSE BILL 2000 (69th Legislature, 2025 Regular Session), sponsored by Representatives Caldier and Richards. The text provided leaves some details unspecified: it does not give a precise section number beyond "Sec. 1," it does not define the timing or schedule for "the first wall update," it does not identify which state entity operates or maintains the memorial or the administrative steps for adding names, and no effective date for the new section is stated.

If enacted, the state law enforcement memorial would be required to include the names of Washington officers whom the U.S. Department of Justice has ruled to have died in the line of duty under the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act of 2003, and those names must be added at the memorial’s first wall update following the DOJ determination. The requirement also reaches back five years to include officers who died on or after January 1, 2020. The people most directly affected are the officers and their families, who would gain formal recognition on the state memorial, and the entity that runs and updates the memorial, which must add names when the DOJ makes its determinations and therefore will have an ongoing administrative duty and likely some staffing or small budget impacts tied to wall updates. The Department of Justice’s determinations become the trigger for inclusion; however, the bill text does not say which state office manages the memorial, how often “the first wall update” occurs, or an effective date, so exact timing and cost implications are unclear.