This bill directs the Division of Archives and Records Management, working with the University of Washington Institute on Human Development and Disability, the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), and the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, to create a preservation plan for historical documents and artifacts identified at Lakeland Village, a state-operated facility. The required plan must identify records at risk, assess condition (age, material, storage environment), specify preservation steps (storage, handling, transport, restoration), provide cataloguing, digitization, and transfer to archival microfilm, include a timeline and overall budget, and set future plans for public access for historical and educational purposes. The Division of Archives and Records Management and DSHS are required to work together on storing and retaining the Lakeland Village records, and the plan must be reported to the appropriate legislative committees by September 1, 2025. The bill modifies existing law by amending RCW 40.14.030 and related uncodified language: it changes prior language about destruction to instead require that Lakeland Village records be retained through 2030, and it states that restricted records transferred to the state archives are open to inspection and copying after 75 years from creation. The amendment also makes clear that confidentiality protections under RCW chapters 42.56, 70.02, 71.05, HIPAA, or other applicable law are not overridden or diminished by the 75-year rule. The bill limits indirect costs charged to the University of Washington for the project to 15 percent and references amendments to 2024 c 134 s 2 and 2011 c 336 s 817. Affected entities named include the Division of Archives and Records Management, University of Washington Institute on Human Development and Disability, DSHS, Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, the state archives/Secretary of State, and originating agencies holding records. The bill was referred to the Committee on State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections. Important gaps in the provided text: the full original 2024 statute being amended is not included for comparison, the phrase “appropriate committees of the legislature” is not specifically identified beyond the referral noted, the bill requires a budget but does not specify funding sources or appropriations, the retention requirement through 2030 does not state what must happen to records after 2030, and the excerpt does not include the full prior language that was replaced.

If enacted, the state will require a formal preservation project for historical materials from Lakeland Village: the state archives will lead the work with the University of Washington Institute on Human Development and Disability, DSHS, and the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation to identify at‑risk medical records, images, films, letters, and artifacts, assess condition, propose storage, handling, restoration, cataloging, digitization and a timeline and budget, and produce a plan with public access options by September 1, 2025. DSHS and the archives must coordinate storage and retain the records through 2030, the University’s indirect cost charges for the project are limited to 15 percent, and restricted records transferred to the state archives would generally become open after 75 years while still remaining subject to state and federal confidentiality protections like HIPAA. The practical impacts fall mainly on the Division of Archives and Records Management, DSHS, the UW institute, and the archaeology/historic preservation department, which will need to provide staff time, expertise, and likely funding or seek resources to carry out assessments, preservation, and digitization work; the UW will receive less overhead recovery than it might otherwise. Past residents’ records may become more accessible over time, but medical and other legally protected information stays protected. Important implementation details are missing here: the bill does not specify where the preservation money will come from, what must happen to records after 2030, or precisely which legislative committees will receive the plan.