| Momentum Bucket | Early Stage |
| Legal Title | AN ACT Relating to relieving school districts of certain requirements; |
| Bill Description | Relieving school districts of certain requirements. |
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What this bill does
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The bill amends the existing state energy performance standard statute (RCW 19.27A.210) and related K‑12 statutes. It directs an unnamed department to adopt by rule a statewide energy performance standard for "covered buildings," using ANSI/ASHRAE/IES standard 100-2018 as an initial model, set energy use intensity targets by building type, provide conditional compliance methods (energy management plans, O&M programs, audits, investment plans), create a database of covered buildings using county assessor records, notify owners, administer reporting, offer owner support, and update the standard by July 1, 2029 and every five years thereafter. The statute establishes reporting deadlines for tier 1 buildings by size (reports due June 1 of 2026, 2027, and 2028), allows owners to seek two‑year extensions under specified timing, authorizes the department to issue notices of violation and impose administrative penalties (up to $5,000 plus a continuing violation amount not to exceed $1 per gross square foot per day with inflation adjustments by rule), requires penalties be deposited into the low‑income weatherization and structural rehabilitation assistance account, and mandates annual implementation reports to the governor and legislative committees through 2029. The text requires investment-grade audits and life‑cycle cost analyses for investment plans and generally a minimum savings-to-investment ratio of 1.0, and it allows alternative compliance pathways for state campus district energy systems. Several key definitions, the full list of exemptions, and the specific identity of the administering department are not included in the provided text.
The bill also amends multiple K‑12 education statutes to set requirements and procedures for comprehensive sexual health education, parental review and opt‑out, and school reporting. It requires public schools that choose to offer comprehensive sexual health education to use medically and scientifically accurate, age‑appropriate, and inclusive materials that include information about abstinence, contraception and disease prevention, affirmative consent, and bystander training; OSPI must provide technical assistance, maintain and annually update a curriculum list, and collect annual submissions from schools by September 1 with biennial summaries to the legislature. Parents or guardians may review materials and must be granted written excusal for their child from planned instruction. The law defines key terms (including "affirmative consent" and "comprehensive sexual health education") and requires schools to notify parents each year and provide access to course materials.
The bill strengthens safe school planning and threat assessment procedures by amending related statutes and adding requirements for comprehensive safe school plans, multidisciplinary school‑based threat assessment and threat management, limits on punitive actions based solely on referrals, and detailed drill and emergency preparedness rules. Safe school plans must address emergency mitigation, family reunification, accommodations for students with special needs, principal certification in the Incident Command System, and specified drills (shelter‑in‑place, lockdown without non‑trauma‑informed live active‑shooter reenactments, and evacuation including lahar/tsunami and earthquake). Schools must document drills and are encouraged to conduct more frequent exercises and coordinated drills with local responders; first responder agencies must notify other nearby schools when warranted and are afforded limited liability unless acting with willful disregard. A new provision makes parts of the act inoperative to the extent they conflict with federal requirements tied to federal funds. The provided excerpts omit some early and later statutory language, the complete list of exemptions for covered buildings, and certain cross‑referenced subsections, so full implementation details and some definitions remain unclear from the text given.
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Why it matters
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If enacted, large commercial and institutional building owners will face a new statewide energy performance regime that sets energy-intensity targets (using ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 100-2018 as a model), requires regular reporting on a phased schedule for the largest buildings (reports due June 1 in 2026–2028 depending on size), and forces owners who miss targets to follow conditional compliance steps that usually require an investment-grade audit and measures that generally pay for themselves over the measure’s useful life. The state agency in charge will build a list of covered buildings using county assessor records, notify owners, offer outreach and technical support, and can issue violations and administrative penalties (up to $5,000 plus a continuing charge tied to building area) that must be deposited into the state’s low-income weatherization account; owners can seek two-year extensions under defined timing rules, tenants cannot be charged penalties so long as they cooperate, and key details such as the exact definition of “covered building” and the full list of exemptions are not included in the provided text.
For K–12 schools, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction will provide curriculum support and technical assistance for comprehensive sexual health education, schools must notify families each year and let parents opt students out or review materials, and OSPI will collect and report on curricula annually and biennially to the Legislature. School districts will also have clearer safe-school plan requirements and drill expectations (minimum three safety-related drills per year, principal ICS certification, trauma-informed lockdown rules, documentation of drills), first responders must notify nearby schools of threats when reasonably necessary, and districts bear most costs unless outside funds are available; some implementation timing and funding details are left unclear in the excerpts.
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| Official Documents | View Full Bill Text |
| Senator Braun (Primary) |
| Senator Christian |
| Senator Fortunato |
| Senator King |
| Senator Muzzall |
| Senator Wagoner |
| Senator J. Wilson |