Concerning public employee reimbursement for child and adult dependent care expenses.

2023-2024 Regular Session Introduced by Annette Cleveland and 15 co-sponsors

Extends sunset dates for Washington's Livestock ID Program to July 1, 2030, preserving current inspection fees, call-out rules, and annual reporting to safeguard solvency.

By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

Summary — SB 5485 (2025) / Chapter 287, 2025 Laws

Status: Enacted by the 69th Legislature; signed by Governor 5/15/2025; effective 7/27/2025.

Note on bill numbering: The SB 5485 designation has been used for different proposals in recent sessions. The version enacted in 2025 (chapter 287) amends Washington’s livestock identification law. A separate 2023 draft of SB 5485 concerned public employee reimbursement for child and adult dependent care; that 2023 text is included in the record but was not the enrolled 2025 law.

Main purpose

Extend temporary provisions created or modified in 2023 for Washington’s Livestock Identification Program (administered by the Washington State Department of Agriculture, WSDA). Specifically, extend the expiration dates for: (1) statutory livestock inspection and call‑out fees (and the veterinarian/inspector exemption), (2) the Livestock Identification Advisory Committee, and (3) the WSDA’s annual reporting requirement — moving their sunset from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2030.

Key provisions and changes

Amends RCW 16.57.460 and related uncodified sections from the 2023 act to replace “July 1, 2026” with “July 1, 2030” for the specified expirations.

Continues the current fee structure and call‑out fee provisions established in 2019 and extended in 2023. Relevant fees (existing statutory amounts) include:

Unbranded/unidentified cattle: $4.00/head
Branded/identified cattle: $1.21/head
Horses: $3.85/head
Cattle at smaller processing plants: $4.40/head
Feedlot cattle: $0.28/head
Various certificate fees (annual, lifetime, minimum issuance) as previously set
Call‑out fee: $20 (not charged when inspection is performed by a certified veterinarian or field livestock inspector)

Continues requirement that WSDA submit an annual livestock inspection program report (due by November 1 each year) to legislative oversight committees and to the Livestock Identification Advisory Committee. The report must include amounts collected, program expenditures, financial status, and recommendations.

Leaves appropriations unchanged (no new appropriation in the bill). Fiscal note available.

Who is affected

Livestock producers (beef, dairy, horse owners), feedlot operators, livestock market owners, and meat processors—who pay statutory inspection, licensing, and certificate fees.

Public livestock markets (minimum $150 inspection payment rule for low‑fee sale days).

WSDA — continues program operations and annual reporting obligations.

Members and stakeholders represented on the 12‑member Livestock Identification Advisory Committee.

Policy context and impact

Purpose is to maintain program solvency and service continuity while WSDA modernizes the program. Committee/agency testimony indicated projections show solvency through 2029 but risk of deficit by mid‑2027 if fees sunset as originally scheduled.

Extending expirations preserves existing fee authority and oversight structures through mid‑2030, allowing time for further evaluation or permanent changes.

Effective date: July 27, 2025 (per enrolled bill).

Note on the 2023 dependent‑care draft

A separate 2023-docketed SB 5485 (S-0547.2) would have clarified that reimbursement for reasonable and necessary child care and adult dependent care incurred during official travel is permitted and not a prohibited private benefit under the ethics code and state travel rules. That text appears in the record but was not the measure enacted in 2025.