This bill creates a new chapter in Title 72 RCW titled the "inmates in Olympia act" and establishes a dual community institution called the Washington capitol reentry center in Olympia. It directs the secretaries of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families and the Department of Corrections to jointly develop and implement the colocation of a community facility (as defined in RCW 72.05.020) and a work release facility (under chapter 72.65 RCW). The act expressly exempts facilities colocated under this authority from the requirements of RCW 72.05.400 and RCW 72.65.220. The bill imposes procedural requirements for public outreach and notice before colocating the facilities, specifying multiple notice methods and recipients (including local newspapers, radio, television, cable, schools, libraries, local governments, chambers of commerce, residents and property owners within one-half mile, and government employees and officials within one-half mile). It requires a public meeting in the affected community, a special joint notice session to be broadcast live on TVW from the center’s steps, and allows members of the public to submit written comments to their state elected representatives. The act is declared an emergency and takes effect immediately. The extracted text does not include the substantive language of the referenced statutes (RCW 72.05.020, chapter 72.65 RCW, RCW 72.05.400, or RCW 72.65.220), does not define which adult or juvenile inmates qualify to be housed there, and does not provide implementation details such as funding, capacity, security measures, or a timeline. The findings mention the general administration building on the state capitol campus as an intended site, but the operative provisions provided do not explicitly state the statutory location.

If enacted, Washington would establish a new dual-use reentry center in Olympia that combines a community treatment facility and a work release unit, and the state agencies that run youth services and adult corrections (DCYF and DOC) would be required to plan and put that co-location into place immediately. The law would also exempt the colocated facilities from two existing RCW requirements and force a heightened joint public outreach process—including mailed notices to nearby residents and schools, a local public meeting, a live TVW broadcast from the site steps, and written comment to state lawmakers—so neighbors, local governments, and community organizations would get formal opportunities to weigh in before operations begin. The people and organizations most affected are DCYF and DOC, which take on new joint responsibilities and the administrative burden of extensive outreach; residents, property owners, nearby schools, libraries, local officials and businesses within a half-mile who must be notified and can publicly comment; and qualifying adult and juvenile inmates who would be placed at the new center. Important practical details are missing from the extracted text—there is no information on funding, bed capacity, security or operational rules, the exact content of the statutory exemptions, or clear statutory language placing the center in a specific building—so how costs, staffing, and safety oversight will change in practice remains unclear.