This bill adds a new section to chapter 15.58 RCW that makes it unlawful for a person to use, sell, distribute, apply, or handle any herbicide containing paraquat (defined as paraquat dichloride or any other chemical form of paraquat). The director is given authority to authorize limited use of paraquat for research subject to "strict safety and reporting protocols" and may adopt rules to implement and enforce the prohibition. The act takes effect January 1, 2027. The text creates a new statutory prohibition with a narrow research exception and grants rulemaking authority; it does not specify penalties, enforcement mechanisms, compliance requirements, or timelines for rulemaking. The identity or agency of "the director" is not specified in the provided text, and the scope and details of the permitted limited research use and the required safety and reporting protocols are not included.

If enacted, the bill would bar anyone in Washington from using, selling, distributing, applying, or handling any herbicide that contains paraquat as of January 1, 2027, so farmers, commercial applicators, retailers and distributors who currently rely on paraquat would need to stop selling or using it and identify alternative weed-control products or practices, which could change their costs, supplies, and training needs; agricultural workers and nearby communities would likely face reduced exposure risk. Research institutions could still work with paraquat only if the unspecified "director" grants a narrow, authorized exemption under strict safety and reporting rules, meaning researchers must seek permission and meet new protocols to continue studies. The director is given authority to write rules and enforce the ban, shifting administrative responsibility and any rulemaking costs or enforcement actions to that office, but the bill text here does not say which agency the director represents, what penalties or permitting steps will apply, or the timeline and content of those rules, so important implementation details and how compliance will be monitored remain unclear.