A bill creating a statewide hate crimes hotline in the Washington state Attorney General’s Office is headed to the governor’s desk to be signed into law
The state Legislature adopted legislation sponsored by Sen. Javier Valdez, D-Seattle, on Feb. 28 after the House passed Senate Bill 5427 in a 56-39 vote. The Senate passed the bill in early February with a bipartisan 30-18 vote.
The legislation creates a hotline Washingtonians can contact to provide information and referrals for those targeted by hate crimes, according to a news release from the Attorney General’s Office.
“We must stand up to the hate crimes targeting Washington communities,” Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a news release. “Creating this hotline will provide a centralized location for Washingtonians to report hate crimes and bias incidents. This will improve our state’s response to these incidents and increase public safety. I thank Sen. Valdez for his leadership on the hate crimes task force and for bringing forth this legislation, and for the many advocates who joined my office in supporting this policy.”
Under the legislation, the Attorney General's Office will develop and test a pilot hotline to assist Washingtonians in at least three counties by July 1, 2025. By Jan. 1, 2027, the hotline must be active statewide. Once operational statewide, the Attorney General's Office will publish an annual report regarding hate crimes and all bias incidents reported to it, according to a news release.
