S-4468.1
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5853
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2026 Regular Session
By Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections (originally sponsored by Senators J. Wilson, Holy, Lovelett, McCune, Wagoner, Dozier, Torres, Short, Warnick, Braun, Nobles, Bateman, Fortunato, Frame, and Trudeau)
READ FIRST TIME 02/02/26.
AN ACT Relating to protecting elected officials from political violence by creating the statewide emergency public official notification system; reenacting and amending RCW 38.52.520 ; adding new sections to chapter 38.52 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 42.56 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. On June 14, 2025, Minnesota house of representatives speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman of the democratic caucus and her husband Mark Hortman were stalked and murdered. On that same day, Minnesota state senator of the democratic caucus John Hoffman and his wife Yvette Hoffman were stalked and shot by the same alleged individual who murdered representative Hortman and her husband.
It is the intent of the legislature to streamline more efficient communication and prevent needless violence by creating an optional emergency notification system for public officials. This system will alert all public officials as soon as practicable when any enrolled public official contacts a 911 emergency communications system and upon confirmation of a targeted threat to any public official. Had an emergency notification system been implemented in Minnesota, senator Hoffman and his wife could have been notified of representative Hortman and her husband's murder and taken whatever precautions necessary to avoid harm.