Photo courtesy of the City of Bellevue (The Center Square) – The Washington State House of Representatives has passed revised legislation aimed at enhancing public safety funding. The new law allows cities and towns to implement a new 0.1% sales tax without requiring voter approval. This initiative is part of a plan to allocate $100 million in grants to local police departments for the purpose of hiring additional officers.Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2015 will also establish a Law Enforcement Grant Program to be overseen by the Criminal Justice Training Commission, along with a Supplemental Criminal Justice Account to distribute allocated funds to qualified cities.Washington currently ranks last in the nation for police staffing per capita. The bill also allows local sales tax revenue to be used for public defenders, domestic violence services, and programs to assist former prisoners in finding employment.During the debate on the House floor, Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, proposed an amendment to exempt smaller cities from the sales tax requirement to qualify for the grants. However, this amendment was not approved.Rep. April Berg, D-Mill Creek, opposed the exemption, emphasizing the importance of all communities having the tools to invest in public safety.A separate amendment to exempt smaller communities from the tax requirement also failed to pass.Rep. Gloria Mendoza, R-Grandview, and Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, advocated for exemptions for smaller cities and communities, but their proposals were not accepted by the House lawmakers.The final version of the bill removed the stipulation that local governments must implement the new sales tax to access the $100 million in grants. Instead, cities and counties can access the funds if they have already imposed existing public safety sales taxes. Additionally, governments cannot implement the new sales tax if voters have rejected a similar tax proposal within the past two years.Sponsor Rep. Debra Entenman, D-Covington, urged support for the bill before its final passage.
“The increased number of support services within the criminal legal system in our community presents an opportunity for us to engage in community policing and create a safer Washington state,” she stated. The bill received final approval with a vote of 54 in favor and 42 against, with five Democrats and all Republicans opposing it.
