This bill creates a new "crime firearm reward program" by adding a section to chapter 10.85 RCW and allows cities and counties to pay cash rewards for information leading to recovery of firearms used in the commission of a felony firearm offense. It authorizes up to $500 when a located firearm is recovered and up to $5,000 if the related felony firearm offense resulted in a criminal conviction, requires rewards be paid in accordance with RCW 10.85.050, and prohibits paying rewards to law enforcement officers, people with outstanding warrants, or government employees for information obtained in the normal course of their employment. The bill also amends existing funding and distribution laws for the county and municipal criminal justice assistance accounts (RCW 82.14.310 and 82.14.320) and begins amendments to RCW 82.14.330. It directs state treasurer transfers into the county and municipal accounts beginning fiscal year 2000 ($23,200,000 annually to the county account and $4,600,000 annually to the municipal account), deposited quarterly and thereafter increased by the OFM fiscal growth factor, and specifies detailed distribution formulas, eligibility criteria for municipal distributions, allowable uses (including domestic violence services and payments under the new reward program), limits on supplanting existing funding during a specified period, and that up to 5% of funds may be used for State Patrol crime lab enhancements. It also authorizes up to $510,000 per fiscal biennium from the county account for Washington State Patrol investigative and reporting assistance. This is primarily a procedural and funding change (creating a reward program and changing how criminal justice assistance funds are transferred and distributed), not a new criminal offense or a change to criminal penalties. The provided excerpts do not include the full text of the new section's payment procedure reference (RCW 10.85.050), the complete amendments to RCW 82.14.330, or the content of "section 1 of this act," so those parts of the bill cannot be fully summarized from the available material.

If enacted, local governments would be allowed to pay cash rewards to people who provide information that leads to recovering firearms used in felony firearm offenses (up to $500 for a recovered gun and up to $5,000 if the offense resulted in a conviction). Those rewards must be paid by the city or county of the recovering officer or agency and may be paid from the county and municipal criminal justice assistance accounts, which are funded by regular state transfers and allocated to local jurisdictions under the bill’s formulas and eligibility rules. Payments cannot be made to law enforcement officers, government employees, or people with outstanding warrants, and some state funds are reserved for State Patrol lab enhancements and small agency training reimbursements. The people most affected are cities and counties, which gain a new option to spend criminal justice assistance money on rewards but also face a new recurring expense that could reduce funds available for other criminal-justice uses (including domestic violence services, training, and innovative programs) and require administration of the program under referenced payment rules. Small-city law enforcement benefits indirectly through training reimbursements, and the State Patrol may receive appropriations for laboratory and investigative support. Important implementation details are missing from the provided text—most notably the full text of section 1 (administration and eligibility details) and the referenced payment procedures in RCW 10.85.050—so the exact administrative process and some funding mechanics remain unclear.