S-4442.2
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6017
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2026 Regular Session
By Senate Law & Justice (originally sponsored by Senators Orwall, Dhingra, Nobles, and C. Wilson)
READ FIRST TIME 01/30/26.
AN ACT Relating to supporting crime victims and witnesses by promoting victim-centered, trauma-informed responses; amending RCW 70.125.030 , 70.125.110 , and 43.10.801 ; adding new sections to chapter 7.69 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that over 500,000 women in the United States are at risk of or have undergone female genital mutilation, including 25,000 women and girls in Washington state. The legislature further finds that the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro is among the five highest rates of impacted and at-risk communities in the United States, making addressing female genital mutilation and other sexual violence critical.
It is the intent of the legislature to expand the rights of survivors of sexual assault to survivors of all acts of sexual violence, including female genital mutilation. The legislature further intends to extend the life cycle of the SAFE advisory group and expand its duties to include researching and making recommendations on trauma-informed, culturally sensitive policies to prevent and address female genital mutilation and other acts of sexual violence.