This bill amends existing law in RCW 6.27.340 and 6.27.350 to change garnishment procedures and the required forms. It requires service of a writ for a continuing lien to comply with RCW 6.27.110 and replaces a statutory sample first-answer form with a requirement that the employer-directed first answer use a form developed by the Washington pattern forms committee (or a substantially equivalent form). The first answer must state, as of the writ's issue date, whether the defendant was employed by the garnishee (or the date employment ended); whether the defendant's earnings were subject to a preexisting continuing writ and when that writ will terminate; whether the defendant had a financial account with the garnishee; whether the garnishee has possession or control of any of the defendant's funds, property, or effects (with a list or schedule); and the amounts due and owing from the garnishee to the defendant, including the defendant's total earnings, allowable deductions, disposable and exempt earnings, deductions for superior liens, and net earnings withheld under the writ. If the plaintiff fails to complete these required fill-in items, the employer may elect to treat the garnishment as not creating a continuing lien. The bill also sets rules for when a writ becomes and remains a lien on earnings: when the garnishee's answer shows employment, the judgment becomes a lien on nonexempt earnings due at the writ's effective date and continues on subsequent nonexempt earnings until the writ amount is satisfied or until the employer payroll period ending on or before 60 days after the writ's effective date, unless earlier terminated by the end of employment, vacation of the judgment, satisfaction, or dismissal of the writ. The "effective date" is defined as the date of service if there is no prior writ, or the date of termination of previously served writ(s). At the time the lien is expected to terminate, the plaintiff must mail the garnishee a copy of a second answer form developed by the pattern forms committee (or a substantially equivalent form), and the garnishee must file that second answer within 20 days stating the total amount held subject to garnishment. This is a procedural change to garnishment form and reporting requirements and the timing/duration rules for continuing liens; it does not create a new crime or alter criminal penalties. Important details are missing here: the actual content of the committee-developed first and second answer forms and some formatting/placement changes shown in the chunk are not provided, and the amendment may rely on other statutory provisions not included in the extracted facts. The bill was prefiled 01/09/26 and read for the first time 01/12/26.

If enacted, the bill forces plaintiffs and garnishees to use a standard form from the Washington pattern forms committee for the employer’s first and second answers and requires those answers to show specific employment, account, property, and detailed earnings information as of the writ’s issue date. Employers who receive a writ will have a clearer, narrower set of obligations and a new option to treat the garnishment as not creating a continuing lien if the plaintiff fails to fill in the required form fields; liens on wages will generally last only until the payroll period ending on or before 60 days after the writ’s effective date unless the judgment is satisfied or employment ends sooner. Practically, plaintiffs will face stricter paperwork and timing duties (including mailing a second-answer form when a lien is expected to terminate and getting a garnishee’s second answer within 20 days), which increases the risk their lien will not continue if they miss steps or leave required fields blank; defendants’ wages and accounts may be released sooner in practice. The measure also shifts a procedural responsibility to the Washington pattern forms committee to produce the forms, but the actual content of those new forms and some formatting details aren’t included here, so implementation specifics and any costs to agencies or parties remain unclear.