---
type: "Bill"
title: "Extending special education services to students with disabilities until the end of the school year in which the student turns 22."
description: "Extending special education services to students with disabilities until the end of the school year in which the student turns 22."
jurisdiction: "us/states/wa"
legislature: "Washington Legislature"
session: "2025-2026"
identifier: "SB 5253"
citation: "Washington SB 5253 (2025-2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Cortes"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 35
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2025-01-14"
last_action: "2025-05-13"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/4245af89-a8c2-4959-8478-87a769b43279"
source_url: "https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=5253&Year=2025&Initiative=false"
source_hash: "ab4ca0eeae7743d8491fd7f28a63f749547c21cd50fe6650152193f97e0cdcd4"
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 5253 (2025-2026) — Extending special education services to students with disabilities until the end of the school year in which the student turns 22.

## 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/5253.htm)
2. **Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2025-26/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5253-S.htm)
3. **Substitute Passed Legislature** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2025-26/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Passed%20Legislature/5253-S.PL.htm)

## Votes

- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#14) — **48–0** (pass) · upper
- Final Passage as Amended by the House (#6) — **93–1** (pass) · lower
- Final Passage as Amended by the House (#4) — **47–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Cortes — primary (person)
- C. Wilson — cosponsor (person)
- Chapman — cosponsor (person)
- Conway — cosponsor (person)
- Frame — cosponsor (person)
- Krishnadasan — cosponsor (person)
- Liias — cosponsor (person)
- Nobles — cosponsor (person)
- Shewmake — cosponsor (person)
- Trudeau — cosponsor (person)
- Valdez — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-01-14** First reading, referred to Early Learning & K-12 Education. `reading-1`
- **2025-01-30** Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education at 10:30 AM.
- **2025-02-11** Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education at 8:00 AM.
- **2025-02-11** EDU - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `substitution`
- **2025-02-11** And refer to Ways & Means. `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-12** Referred to Ways & Means. `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-20** 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 Early Learning & K-12 Education. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-02-28** Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
- **2025-03-03** Placed on second reading by Rules Committee. `reading-2`
- **2025-03-06** 1st substitute bill substituted (EDU 25). `substitution`
- **2025-03-06** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2025-03-06** Third reading, passed; yeas, 48; nays, 0; absent, 0; excused, 1. `reading-3`
- **2025-03-08** First reading, referred to Education. `reading-1`
- **2025-03-18** Public hearing in the House Committee on Education at 4:00 PM.
- **2025-03-20** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Education at 8:00 AM.
- **2025-03-20** ED - Majority; do pass. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-03-21** Referred to Appropriations. `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-02** Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 4:00 PM.
- **2025-04-04** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations at 1:30 PM.
- **2025-04-04** APP - Majority; do pass with amendment(s). `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-08** Referred to Rules 2 Review. `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-11** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading. `reading-2`
- **2025-04-12** Committee amendment(s) adopted with no other amendments.
- **2025-04-12** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2025-04-12** Third reading, passed; yeas, 93; nays, 1; absent, 0; excused, 4. `reading-3`
- **2025-04-18** Senate concurred in House amendments.
- **2025-04-18** Passed final passage; yeas, 47; nays, 0; absent, 0; excused, 2. `passage`
- **2025-04-19** President signed. `passage`
- **2025-04-22** Speaker signed. `passage`
- **2025-04-23** Delivered to Governor. `executive-receipt`
- **2025-05-13** Governor signed. `executive-signature`
- **2025-05-13** Chapter 256, 2025 Laws. `became-law`
- **2025-05-13** 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/4245af89-a8c2-4959-8478-87a769b43279`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Washington legislature records).