OLYMPIA, WA – The governor’s push for $100 million in new state funding to hire police officers has gotten complicated as this year’s Washington legislative session enters its second half.
A new bill moving through the Legislature that would rework the proposed grant plan has driven a 180-degree shift among lawmakers.
Democrats have warmed to this one. Republicans have chilled.
Gov. Bob Ferguson and others note Washington has for years been last in the nation in police staffing per capita. Ferguson pledged on the campaign trail last year to add more officers to the state’s law enforcement ranks. And he’s continued to press the issue now that he’s in office.
Ferguson has said he wants the $100 million both in the two-year budget lawmakers will pass this year, and the next one in 2027. He’s vowed to veto any budget that doesn’t include it.
But many Democrats, including those on the Legislative Black Caucus, have raised concerns about over-policing in disadvantaged communities and argue that more officers are not the best public safety solution.
In a January meeting, Black lawmakers told the governor more money to add cops should be matched with funding for social services.
Rep. Kristine Reeves, D-Federal Way, the chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, said House Bill 2015 strikes that balance, allowing the governor to stay true to his promise while offering a more nuanced approach to public safety that isn’t just more cops on the beat.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Debra Entenman, D-Kent, is a leading police accountability voice in the Legislature.
“A few of you may wonder why I am sponsoring this legislation,” Entenman told a House panel last month. “To me, there has to be more than just more police on the streets. And with this bill, I’m hoping to fund not only more police on the streets, but more services for those who might need assistance.”
This legislation combines the governor’s temporary infusion of state cash with a more permanent funding source: A local sales tax.
The fine print
The House measure sponsored by Entenman combines portions of several bills under consideration. At least half a dozen bills in Olympia seek to spur new revenue for local police.
This bill would allow cities and counties to implement a new 0.1% sales tax dedicated to criminal justice, without voter approval. Rough estimates show the tax would bring in over $276 million for local governments this biennium and $595 million in the next. That projection assumes the 35 counties and 21 cities that have adopted similar public safety or criminal justice sales taxes will also impose the new one.
For example, the proposal could allow King County to stave off harsh budget cuts as it faces a two-year budget deficit upward of $150 million.
To access grants from the Criminal Justice Training Commission, localities must implement the new tax by June 30, 2027.
Local police departments and sheriff’s offices would have to jump through a few more hoops to tap the $100 million in state grant funding. These hurdles include adopting model policies on use-of-force and other issues from the state attorney general’s office, completing trauma-informed training for all officers and complying with the Keep Washington Working Act that restricts local police from helping federal authorities with immigration enforcement.
In the wake of President Donald Trump’s promise of the biggest deportation campaign in U.S. history — and threats to local jurisdictions that don’t assist in reaching that goal — some Washington police officials have said they still may aid in federal immigration enforcement efforts. The Pierce County sheriff is one of them.
The bill has quickly moved through two committees and now awaits action on the House floor, where it could get further amended.
Meanwhile, the initial proposal Ferguson championed, Senate Bill 5060, sits ready for a vote from the full Senate.
That legislation would fund the $100 million grant program with similar policy requirements to qualify. While this bill would require 25% of officers to have completed a 40-hour crisis intervention training to qualify, Entenman’s bill requires 80% compliance.
Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney, who proposed this bill, said it’s been heartening to have a governor focused on police staffing. He said he remains flexible on how the legislation evolves.
“Everyone is going to have ideas of how it should be,” Holy said, adding “I don’t care what form it takes.”
Holy’s bill, which has had bipartisan support, doesn’t propose the new sales tax. The money in his measure could be used for police officers, county corrections officers, peer counselors and behavioral health co-responders.
Under House Bill 2015, the grant money can be used for more than just hiring. Crisis intervention training and other public safety efforts, like emergency management planning and community assistance programs, are among the other spending options. But the bill is null and void if lawmakers don’t include the $100 million in state funding in the budget.
A budget shortfall the governor has pegged at $15 billion over the next four years is squeezing the budget and has officials scrambling for cuts. But, so far, legislative leaders have not indicated they will rebuff Ferguson on police funding.
House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, suggested Entenman’s bill will require more fine-tuning but will likely reach the floor for a vote by Wednesday, the deadline for legislation to pass out of its chamber of origin.
“I think that there’s a lot of good work going on around that bill to try and understand and represent what the governor wants, but also what members of the caucus are thinking about, too,” Jinkins said.
The debate
Both bills have the governor’s support.
In a statement Friday, Ferguson said “legislators are working hard, and I am optimistic about our progress,” but didn’t indicate a favored proposal.
Groups representing police, cities and counties like the House bill.
“This is really a compilation, I think, of the best parts of a lot of proposals that have been out here in this space,” said Brad Banks, a policy consultant for the Washington State Association of Counties.
But while Republicans championed Holy’s bill, they staunchly oppose Entenman’s. Those from smaller cities say the sales tax will do little to raise money for public safety.
“I think it spreads the peanut butter a little too thin when it comes to actually getting more boots on the ground,” said state Rep. Chris Corry, R-Yakima.
Senate Republican Leader John Braun, of Centralia, acknowledged Holy’s bill might not make it to the governor’s desk.
“I can’t say for sure it’ll go all the way this year,” he told reporters last week. “We’re going to keep pulling and keep pushing to get our state back on a better track when it comes to law enforcement by recognizing the challenges we have. And this is not a cure-all. This is a step in the right direction, but it’s a relatively small step.”
Many Democrats still don’t think House Bill 2015 is perfect. Some find the idea of funding more police hard to stomach.
The debate will likely linger for the rest of the session, scheduled to end April 27.