Washington SB 5093: Improving climate resilience through updates to the state's integrated climate response strategy.

Bill Text

CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5093
Chapter 374, Laws of 2025
69th Legislature
2025 Regular Session
PREGNANCY LOSS—VARIOUS PROVISIONS
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 27, 2025—Except for section 3, which takes
effect July 1, 2027.
Passed by the Senate April 17, 2025
Yeas 30 Nays 19
JOHN LOVICK
President of the Senate
Passed by the House April 9, 2025
Yeas 58 Nays 39
LAURIE JINKINS
Speaker of the House of
Representatives
CERTIFICATE
I, Sarah Bannister, Secretary of
the Senate of the State of
Washington, do hereby certify that
the attached is SUBSTITUTE SENATE
BILL 5093 as passed by the Senate
and the House of Representatives on
the dates hereon set forth.
SARAH BANNISTER
Secretary
Approved May 20, 2025 10:20 AM FILED
May 21, 2025
BOB FERGUSON
Governor of the State of Washington
Secretary of State
State of Washington

AN ACT Relating to dignity in pregnancy loss; amending RCW 1
68.50.010; adding a new section to chapter 43.70 RCW; creating a new 2
section; repealing RCW 9.02.050; and providing an effective date.3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that every 5
Washingtonian should be treated with respect and dignity after a 6
pregnancy loss and should be able to seek medical assistance without 7
fear of civil or criminal liability. The threat of criminal 8
prosecution of pregnancy outcomes is partly traceable to out-of-date 9
provisions in state law that allow investigations of certain 10
abortions and pregnancy losses. The legislature further finds that 11
removal of these provisions changes neither requirements to report 12
births or deaths, including fetal deaths, or prepare and publish 13
vital statistics under chapter 70.58A RCW, nor the ability of 14
coroners to investigate deaths, including fetal deaths, that may have 15
been caused by unlawful or suspicious circumstances, including 16
violence against the pregnant person, provided such investigations 17
are not used to criminalize the pregnant person who experienced the 18
pregnancy loss or had an abortion.19
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5093
AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
Passed Legislature - 2025 Regular Session
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Senate Law & Justice (originally sponsored by Senators Dhingra,
Wellman, Cleveland, Bateman, Pedersen, C. Wilson, Hasegawa, Liias,
Nobles, Salomon, Slatter, Stanford, and Valdez)
READ FIRST TIME 01/24/25.
p. 1 SSB 5093.SL

Sec. 2. RCW 68.50.010 and 2021 c 127 s 7 are each amended to 1
read as follows:2
The jurisdiction of bodies of all deceased persons who come to 3
their death suddenly when in apparent good health without medical 4
attendance within the ((thirty-six)) 36 hours preceding death; or 5
where the circumstances of death indicate death was caused by 6
unnatural or unlawful means; or where death occurs under suspicious 7
circumstances; or where a coroner's autopsy or postmortem or 8
coroner's inquest is to be held; or where death results from unknown 9
or obscure causes, or where death occurs within one year following an 10
accident; or where the death is caused by any violence whatsoever, 11
((or where death results from a known or suspected abortion;)) 12
whether self-induced or otherwise; where death apparently results 13
from drowning, hanging, burns, electrocution, gunshot wounds, stabs 14
or cuts, lightning, starvation, radiation, exposure, alcoholism, 15
narcotics or other addictions, tetanus, strangulations, suffocation 16
or smothering; ((or where death is due to premature birth or still 17
birth;)) or where death is due to a violent contagious disease or 18
suspected contagious disease which may be a public health hazard; or 19
where death results from alleged rape, carnal knowledge or sodomy, 20
where death occurs in a jail or prison; where a body is found dead or 21
is not claimed by relatives or friends, is hereby vested in the 22
county coroner or medical examiner, which bodies may be removed and 23
placed in the morgue under such rules as are adopted by the coroner 24
or medical examiner with the approval of the county commissioners, 25
having jurisdiction, providing therein how the bodies shall be 26
brought to and cared for at the morgue and held for the proper 27
identification where necessary.28
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 43.70 29
RCW to read as follows:30
(1) Correctional institutions and private detention facilities 31
shall report annually to the department of health on the aggregate 32
number of people who experience miscarriage, stillbirth, or perinatal 33
loss while confined or incarcerated in such facilities.34
(2) The department of health shall deliver an annual statewide 35
report to the legislature that details the aggregate number of people 36
who experience miscarriage, stillbirth, or perinatal loss while 37
confined or incarcerated in correctional institutions and private 38
detention facilities. The first report shall be delivered by June 30, 39
p.