The bill adds three new sections to chapter 15.58 RCW creating a temporary state law that addresses anticoagulant rodenticides and rodenticides containing bromethalin. It finds these products may harm human and wildlife health, requires the relevant department to report by December 31, 2026 identifying all such products registered under that chapter, and directs the Washington State Academy of Sciences to study the use and safety of rodenticides and submit that study to the legislature by December 31, 2028 in compliance with RCW 43.01.036. The bill establishes a moratorium on the use of anticoagulant rodenticides and rodenticides containing bromethalin from January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2028. The director (office not specified in the text) may set a process and standards to allow time-limited emergency use by a qualified third-party agent for specified public‑health and water‑supply protection purposes. The moratorium section and the study section each expire on June 30, 2029. This is a new-law enactment that creates a temporary prohibition and reporting and study requirements and authorizes a procedural emergency-use mechanism; the text provided does not modify existing penalties or specify any enforcement or compliance mechanisms. The document does not identify which department or director is responsible, does not define “qualified third-party agent,” and does not list specific products or other provisions that may appear elsewhere in the bill. The bill was read for the first time January 15, 2026 and referred to the House Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources.

If enacted, the bill would force the agency that registers rodenticides under chapter 15.58 RCW to produce an inventory of all anticoagulant and bromethalin-containing rodenticides by December 31, 2026, then ban use of those products from January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2028. That means anyone who currently relies on those rodenticides — pest control companies, agricultural operations, property managers, and similar users — will need to stop using them for two years or seek a time-limited emergency approval from a director-established process intended only for specified public-health and water-supply emergencies; alternatives, operational changes, or permit applications are likely to increase costs and administrative burden for those users. The Washington State Academy of Sciences must also study rodenticide use and safety and report to the Legislature by December 31, 2028; both the moratorium and the study requirement expire June 30, 2029. Key practical uncertainties remain: the bill text does not say which specific “department” or “director” is responsible, it does not define “qualified third-party agent” or list specific products, and it includes no enforcement, funding, or penalty details. Those gaps mean timelines, who pays for the study or for transition costs, how emergency approvals will be granted, and how compliance will be enforced are unclear and could affect how disruptive the moratorium is in practice.