Reducing litigation costs by removing barriers to postconviction DNA testing.

 S-3604.1

SENATE BILL 5934

State of Washington

69th Legislature

2026 Regular Session

By Senators Orwall, Bateman, Chapman, Frame, Liias, Nobles, Riccelli, Shewmake, Slatter, Trudeau, C. Wilson, and J. Wilson

Prefiled 12/23/25. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

AN ACT Relating to reducing litigation costs by removing barriers to postconviction DNA testing; amending RCW 10.73.170 ; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. INTENT. (1) The legislature finds that:

(a) Postconviction DNA testing of crime scene evidence has led to the exoneration of hundreds of innocent people who were wrongly convicted in the United States since 1989, including in Washington state;