---
type: "Bill"
title: "Modernizing the child fatality statute."
description: "Modernizing the child fatality statute."
jurisdiction: "us/states/wa"
legislature: "Washington Legislature"
session: "2025-2026"
identifier: "SB 5163"
citation: "Washington SB 5163 (2025-2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Orwall"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 36
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2025-01-07"
last_action: "2025-04-22"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/dc1c6d6c-5fef-413e-a853-d426ae351cb7"
source_url: "https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=5163&Year=2025&Initiative=false"
source_hash: "19507b6cbe4a7d4ecba9ee1ef27011e88a7c263634cd8a3cd9127435d0e97804"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-wa"]
---

# Washington SB 5163 (2025-2026) — Modernizing the child fatality statute.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2025-26/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5163.htm)
2. **Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2025-26/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5163-S.htm)
3. **Substitute Passed Legislature** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2025-26/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Passed%20Legislature/5163-S.PL.htm)

## Votes

- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#9) — **48–0** (pass) · upper
- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#25) — **85–10** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Orwall — primary (person)
- C. Wilson — cosponsor (person)
- Cleveland — cosponsor (person)
- Conway — cosponsor (person)
- Dhingra — cosponsor (person)
- Hasegawa — cosponsor (person)
- Nobles — cosponsor (person)
- Riccelli — cosponsor (person)
- Saldaña — cosponsor (person)
- Shewmake — cosponsor (person)
- Valdez — cosponsor (person)
- Wellman — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2025-01-07** Prefiled for introduction. `filing`
- **2025-01-13** First reading, referred to Human Services. `reading-1`
- **2025-01-22** Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Human Services at 8:00 AM.
- **2025-01-29** Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Human Services at 8:00 AM.
- **2025-01-29** HS - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `substitution`
- **2025-01-29** And refer to Ways & Means. `referral-committee`
- **2025-01-30** Referred to Ways & Means. `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-17** Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 4:00 PM.
- **2025-02-27** Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.
- **2025-02-27** WM - Majority; do pass 1st substitute bill proposed by Human Services. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-02-28** Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
- **2025-03-11** Placed on second reading by Rules Committee. `reading-2`
- **2025-03-12** 1st substitute bill substituted (HS 25). `substitution`
- **2025-03-12** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2025-03-12** Third reading, passed; yeas, 48; nays, 0; absent, 0; excused, 1. `reading-3`
- **2025-03-14** First reading, referred to Early Learning & Human Services. `reading-1`
- **2025-03-25** Public hearing in the House Committee on Early Learning & Human Services at 1:30 PM.
- **2025-03-28** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Early Learning & Human Services at 8:30 AM.
- **2025-03-28** ELHS - Majority; do pass. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-03-28** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2025-04-01** Referred to Appropriations. `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-05** Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 9:00 AM.
- **2025-04-07** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations at 1:30 PM.
- **2025-04-07** APP - Majority; do pass. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-07** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2025-04-07** Minority; do not pass. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2025-04-08** Referred to Rules 2 Review. `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-10** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading. `reading-2`
- **2025-04-10** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2025-04-10** Third reading, passed; yeas, 85; nays, 10; absent, 0; excused, 3. `reading-3`
- **2025-04-15** President signed. `passage`
- **2025-04-16** Speaker signed. `passage`
- **2025-04-17** Delivered to Governor. `executive-receipt`
- **2025-04-22** Governor signed. `executive-signature`
- **2025-04-22** Chapter 123, 2025 Laws. `became-law`
- **2025-04-22** Effective date 7/27/2025. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/dc1c6d6c-5fef-413e-a853-d426ae351cb7`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Washington legislature records).