This bill (House Bill 2506, 69th Legislature, 2026 Regular Session) amends RCW 9A.44.140, 9A.44.141, and 9A.44.142 to change registration durations, relief procedures, and related duties for persons required to register as sex or kidnapping offenders. It sets specific time periods for when the duty to register ends based on conviction class and prior convictions: indefinite registration for adults convicted in Washington of a class A felony or any sex or kidnapping offense with one or more prior sex or kidnapping convictions; 15 years for class B felonies (absent prior sex/kidnap convictions) if the person spent 15 consecutive years in the community without a disqualifying conviction and was in full compliance with RCW 9A.44.130; 10 years for class C felonies and certain listed offenses (and attempts/solicitation/conspiracy to commit a class C felony) under the same conditions; specified shorter periods for certain juvenile offenses; federal, tribal, or out-of-state convictions generally continue registration indefinitely except as provided in RCW 9A.44.142; and lifetime registration for persons determined to be sexually violent predators under chapter 71.09 RCW. The bill creates procedural changes allowing county sheriffs, on request or on their own initiative, to verify by available records whether a person’s duty to register ended by operation of law and, if so, to request removal from the Washington State Patrol central registry. For persons listed due to federal, tribal, or out-of-state convictions, a sheriff may investigate and request removal if the person provides proof that the original jurisdiction individually determined the person is not required to register; the sheriff must request removal if relieved there. It also extends the registration rules and relief provisions to persons found not guilty by reason of insanity under chapter 10.77 RCW, clarifies that discharge under RCW 9.94A.637 does not relieve the duty to register, and specifies that failure to register is not itself a sex or kidnapping offense when determining multiple sex offense convictions. The bill revises petition and court procedures for relief from registration: persons may petition superior court for relief after specified community-time and compliance periods (10 years for Washington convictions except where prohibited, 15 years for federal/tribal/out-of-state convictions, and juvenile relief as in RCW 9A.44.143); petitions are barred for sexually violent predators and for adults convicted of a class A sex or kidnapping felony with forcible compulsion on or after June 8, 2000, although such barred persons may seek exemption from community notification after 15 years. Petitions are filed in the court of conviction (or county of registration for out-of-state/federal/tribal/military convictions), the county prosecuting attorney is the named respondent and must make reasonable efforts to notify the victim if known, and the court must find by clear and convincing evidence that the petitioner is sufficiently rehabilitated. The bill also provides civil immunity for certain public officials, employees, agencies, and local government units and employees for actions or failures to act in removing or requesting removal from the central registry. Important definitions and some procedural specifics referenced in the amendments are not included in the provided text. The bill refers to terms and standards in other statutes (for example, the definitions of "disqualifying offense," what constitutes "full compliance" with RCW 9A.44.130, and the juvenile relief rules in RCW 9A.44.143) and those cross-referenced provisions are not reproduced here, so full scope depends on those other provisions. The bill also states that relief from registration is not a certificate of rehabilitation (or equivalent) for restoration of firearm possession under RCW 9.41.040.

If enacted, the law would create clear time limits for when many people must stay on the Washington sex and kidnapping registry and also create practical routes for removal. Adults convicted of more serious offenses or with prior sex/kidnap convictions would generally face indefinite registration (and sexually violent predators would remain lifetime), while people with class B or C convictions who spend 15 or 10 consecutive years in the community without a disqualifying conviction and who stay in full compliance could have their duty to register end or seek relief in court. County sheriffs would have a new, active role in checking records and asking the Washington State Patrol to remove people who meet those time-and-compliance conditions, and people with federal, tribal, or out-of-state convictions would largely remain on the registry unless they can show an individualized relief determination in the jurisdiction of conviction or meet a longer 15‑year standard to petition. The measure also allows certain barred people to ask for exemption from community notification after 15 years, expands eligibility to some found not guilty by reason of insanity, and makes public officials immune from civil liability for acting on or failing to act on these removals in line with the law. The groups most affected are people currently listed on the central registry (who may gain a path off the registry if they meet the specified clean-period and compliance requirements), county sheriffs (who must review records and can initiate removal checks), county prosecutors (who must be named respondents and make reasonable efforts to notify victims), superior courts (which will see petitions and must apply a clear-and-convincing standard), and the Washington State Patrol (which processes removals). Practically, expect increased workload and some extra record-checking and court costs for local law enforcement and prosecutors, potential reductions in notification and registration duties for eligible registrants, and reduced legal risk for officials because of the immunity provisions. Key terms that affect how this works in practice—like what counts as a “disqualifying” conviction and the precise meaning of “full compliance” with registration rules—are referenced but not defined here, so some implementation details remain uncertain.