This week, both the Washington House of Representatives and Senate passed I-2113. Because I-2113 is an initiative, it does not need to be signed by the Governor. The initiative will become law 90 days after the end of the legislative session.

Joint committee passed vehicular pursuits initiative

March 1, 2024

Last week, both the House Community Safety, Justice, & Reentry Committee and the Senate Law & Justice Committee passed I-2113. The initiative now awaits a vote on the floor in both the House and Senate.

The Legislature may take one of three actions:

• Not pass the initiative, which will send I-2113 to the ballot in November;
• Pass an amended version of the initiative, in which case both the amended version and the original version of I-2113 will be on the ballot; or
• Approve the initiative outright, in which case it will become law without going to the ballot.

It seems likely that the Legislature will take the third option in this case.

Pursuits initiative scheduled for a joint hearing

February 23, 2024

Initiative 2113, concerning vehicular pursuits conducted by law enforcement officers, is scheduled for a joint hearing in the House and Senate.

The initiative was filed before the session began and was certified by the Secretary of State with enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. I-2113 removes many of the restrictions on police pursuits that were passed in 2021 and modified in 2023.

If enacted, the initiative would allow pursuits upon reasonable suspicion of a crime and posing a threat to the safety of others.

Nothing in the initiative precludes cities from adopting more restrictive policies on police pursuits.

Six initiatives have been introduced in the Legislature this session, and with each the Legislature can take one of three actions:

• Adopt the initiative into law as presented.
• Adopt an alternative to the initiative, and then both the alternative and the original initiative are sent to the voters.
• Take no action and allow the initiative to go to the voters.

This information is intended for educational purposes only and not as support or opposition to a ballot measure. AWC’s role is to provide factual educational information on the potential impacts of an initiative on cities. City elected officials may take positions on ballot measures, including statewide initiatives, using specific exceptions to the prohibition on use of public resources. City officials should familiarize themselves with PDC rules regarding ballot measures.

Dates to remember

I-2113 is scheduled for a joint House/Senate hearing on February 28 at 9 am.