Senate Bill 5364 (S-0648.1) would modernize and consolidate Washington law governing sheriffs, chiefs of police, marshals, and related staff by amending multiple RCWs, adding new sections to chapters 35.21 and 36.28 RCW, creating at least one new section, and repealing statutes including the old "police matrons" provisions. The bill establishes uniform eligibility rules for chiefs, marshals, and sheriffs (U.S. citizenship, minimum age 25, high school diploma or equivalency, no felony or certain gross misdemeanor convictions, acceptable military discharge if applicable, at least two years of full‑time law enforcement employment, and obtaining state certification under chapter 43.101 RCW within 12 months of taking office unless extended). It requires sworn attestation of eligibility, background investigations completed no earlier than six months before appointment, appointing authorities to verify eligibility to the Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) as a public record, and appointing authorities to pay investigation fees for appointees (with the Washington State Patrol covering fees for election candidates). The bill imposes operational limits on volunteers and specially commissioned officers (excluding reserve officers as defined in RCW 10.93.020): those persons may be restricted to non‑law‑enforcement functions and prohibited from carrying or using firearms or performing arrests or use of force unless certified under chapter 43.101 RCW. Agencies must adopt policies limiting authority and supervision of volunteers, require clear public identification that distinguishes volunteers from peace officers, and ensure agency‑issued insignia are used only on duty. For sheriffs, RCW 36.28.010 is revised to list specific duties (including enforcing state and federal constitutions and laws as interpreted by the Washington Supreme Court) and to carry forward the volunteer limits; RCW 36.28.025 is amended to apply the same candidate eligibility and background investigation processes, with specified deadlines and fee responsibilities for election candidates. The bill makes substantial procedural changes to certification, background investigations, and commission hearings. It requires comprehensive background investigations for applicants and candidates (criminal history, national decertification index, prior employer discipline and reasons for separation, prosecutor inquiries, extremist affiliation checks as defined by the commission, social media review, citizenship verification, psychological and polygraph examinations), mandates employers disclose prior application and employment records within 30 days, and makes background files confidential while the CJTC’s verification that a background has been completed and passed is public. The CJTC must adopt disqualification criteria by June 30, 2026, prioritizes training access for sheriffs/chiefs/marshals, and must certify limited‑authority officers employed on or before July 1, 2023. The bill revises hearing procedures under RCW 43.101.380 to use administrative hearings with an administrative law judge and a five‑member hearings panel with prescribed membership for police, corrections, and tribal panels, makes hearing records and panel decisions public (retained in a searchable database for at least 30 years), requires reporting to the national decertification index, and includes immunity and severability provisions. Some provisions in the extracted text are incomplete (for example section 6 and portions of certain amendments are cut off) and effective date(s) are not provided in the material supplied.

If enacted, the bill raises hiring and fitness standards for sheriffs, police chiefs, marshals, and many peace and corrections officers and makes agencies tighten control over volunteers and specially commissioned people. Candidates and appointees will need documented prior law enforcement experience, must pass more detailed background checks (including criminal history, prior employer records, social media review, psychological exams and polygraphs as required), and generally must obtain and keep Criminal Justice Training Commission certification within a year or create a vacancy. Appointing authorities will be responsible for background fees for people they appoint (while the state patrol pays fees for election candidates), prior employers must turn over records within 30 days on request, and agencies must adopt policies that limit volunteers from doing law enforcement, carrying weapons, or wearing official-looking badges unless certified. Practical consequences include higher upfront and ongoing costs for counties and cities (background investigations, exams, and training), added administrative work to verify eligibility and to document and publish verification, and a greater risk of sudden vacancies if certification lapses or is revoked. The Criminal Justice Training Commission must write new disqualification rules by June 30, 2026, prioritize training access for chiefs/sheriffs/marshals, and conducts more formal, public hearings with specified panels and long retention and public reporting of summary outcomes (decertifications must be reported nationally). Some key details that affect timing and exact scope are missing from the provided text (portions of the volunteers section and several amendments are cut off and effective dates are not shown), so the full practical timeline and some procedural specifics remain uncertain.