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Bill

SB 5060

Creating a law enforcement hiring grant program.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Mike Chapman and 11 co-sponsors

Creates a one-time $100M grant program to fund up to 75% of entry-level police/officer salaries for new hires, with 25% local match, over 36 months.

Senate Rules "X" file.
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Bill Summary · SB 5060

SB 5060 — Law Enforcement Hiring Grant Program (Second Substitute, S-1992.1)

Status: Senate Rules “X” file (second substitute). Introduced Dec 16, 2024; latest Senate actions through 03/17/2025. Appropriation included.

Purpose

Create a state-administered grant program to help local and tribal agencies hire additional public safety personnel — specifically full‑time law enforcement officers, county corrections officers, peer counselors, and behavioral health personnel working in co‑response — to increase community policing capacity and public safety.

Key provisions

  • Agency administering program: Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC), subject to available appropriation.
  • Funding:
    • One-time appropriation of $100,000,000 from the state general fund for FY 2026 (fiscal year ending June 30, 2026).
  • Grant structure:
    • Grants may cover up to 75% of entry‑level salary and fringe benefits for each full‑time position, for up to 36 months.
    • Minimum 25% local cash match required.
    • Maximum state share per position: $125,000.
    • Any salary/fringe costs above entry level are the grant recipient’s responsibility.
    • Grants intended to increase the number of filled positions (not to fund rehiring/transfers of recently employed officers). The bill bars awarding grants for a position if “the applicant is, or has been within the previous 12 calendar months, employed by a local or tribal law enforcement agency in Washington” (language is intended to prioritize net new hires; statute text is somewhat ambiguous about the scope of “applicant”).
    • CJTC may advance grant funds to agencies that are not yet in compliance with program policy requirements if the advance will allow them to come into compliance.
    • Agencies applying exclusively for county corrections officer funding are exempt from some CJTC compliance requirements (see below).
  • Eligibility and compliance conditions for applicant agencies (must maintain written/published policies and training):
    • Consistency with specified state RCWs and Attorney General “Keep Washington Working” guidance.
    • Use‑of‑force policies and training approved by CJTC.
    • Policies/practices addressing firearm relinquishment under court orders and domestic violence 911 responses.
    • 25% officer compliance with CJTC 40‑hour Crisis Intervention Team training.
    • 100% officer compliance with CJTC‑approved trauma‑informed training.
  • Reporting:
    • CJTC must establish application and selection criteria, publish them, create application forms, and require recipient reports documenting impacts on retention, vacancy rates, and recruitment‑to‑hire timelines.
    • Beginning July 31, 2026, and annually thereafter, CJTC must report to legislative committees with detailed program application/award data (counts, names of applying and awarded entities, positions requested and funded, and amounts).
  • Additional data collection:
    • Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) must produce a one‑time personnel report showing counts of general‑authority Washington peace officer positions (total, filled, vacant, retirements) for each local agency on specified July 1 dates (2020–2025). Report due to governor and fiscal committees by Jan 1, 2026. That reporting provision expires July 1, 2026.

Who is affected

  • Primary: local and tribal law enforcement agencies, county corrections departments, peer counselors, and behavioral health co‑response staff.
  • Administrative: CJTC (program design, awards, reporting) and WASPC (one‑time personnel report).
  • Fiscal: State general fund (one‑time $100M appropriation); local governments required to provide at least 25% cash match for awarded positions.

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Intended to boost hiring and fill vacancies by offsetting early salary/fringe costs for new positions.
  • Conditional requirements (policy and training compliance) may incentivize adoption of standardized policies and training but could pose barriers for smaller agencies; CJTC advance funding can mitigate this.
  • One‑time appropriation limits program scale/duration unless further appropriations are made.
  • Reporting and data collection will produce new statewide vacancy/turnover metrics to inform future policymaking.

Timeline / Legislative posture

  • Bill progressed through Law & Justice and Ways & Means (committee substitutes adopted). Second substitute reported out of Ways & Means (do pass, majority) and placed in Senate Rules “X” file as of 03/17/2025. Further legislative action would be required to enact.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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