---
type: "Bill"
title: "Increasing the amount exempt from garnishment in nonbankruptcy cases."
description: "Increasing the amount exempt from garnishment in nonbankruptcy cases."
jurisdiction: "us/states/wa"
legislature: "Washington Legislature"
session: "2025-2026"
identifier: "SB 5651"
citation: "Washington SB 5651 (2025-2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Alvarado"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 37
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2025-02-04"
last_action: "2025-05-20"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d06382c7-5481-4d3b-90c9-1aac10347907"
source_url: "https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=5651&Year=2025&Initiative=false"
source_hash: "857c372bdf967608ae3a866d6b50b6814ade59599c8041cc6d75222ec086348f"
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 5651 (2025-2026) — Increasing the amount exempt from garnishment in nonbankruptcy cases.

## 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/5651.htm)
2. **Engrossed Second Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2025-26/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5651-S2.E.htm)
3. **Second Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2025-26/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5651-S2.htm)
4. **Second Substitute Passed Legislature** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2025-26/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Passed%20Legislature/5651-S2.PL.htm)
5. **Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2025-26/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5651-S.htm)

## Votes

- Final Passage as Amended by the House (#32) — **61–34** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#29) — **38–10** (pass) · upper
- Final Passage as Amended by the House (#15) — **33–15** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Alvarado — primary (person)
- Cortes — cosponsor (person)
- Nobles — cosponsor (person)
- Salomon — cosponsor (person)
- Slatter — cosponsor (person)
- Stanford — cosponsor (person)
- Trudeau — cosponsor (person)
- Valdez — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-02-04** First reading, referred to Law & Justice. `reading-1`
- **2025-02-10** Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 10:30 AM.
- **2025-02-13** Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 10:30 AM.
- **2025-02-13** LAW - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `substitution`
- **2025-02-13** Minority; do not pass. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2025-02-13** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2025-02-13** And refer to Ways & Means. `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-14** Referred to Ways & Means. `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-26** Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.
- **2025-02-27** Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.
- **2025-02-27** WM - Majority; 2nd substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `substitution`
- **2025-02-27** Minority; do not pass. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2025-02-28** Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
- **2025-03-10** Placed on second reading by Rules Committee. `reading-2`
- **2025-03-12** 2nd substitute bill substituted (WM 25). `substitution`
- **2025-03-12** Floor amendment(s) adopted.
- **2025-03-12** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2025-03-12** Third reading, passed; yeas, 38; nays, 10; absent, 0; excused, 1. `reading-3`
- **2025-03-14** First reading, referred to Civil Rights & Judiciary. `reading-1`
- **2025-03-21** Public hearing in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary at 10:30 AM.
- **2025-03-26** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary at 8:00 AM.
- **2025-03-26** CRJ - Majority; do pass. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-03-26** Minority; do not pass. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2025-03-26** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2025-03-28** 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** Floor amendment(s) adopted.
- **2025-04-10** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2025-04-10** Third reading, passed; yeas, 61; nays, 34; absent, 0; excused, 3. `reading-3`
- **2025-04-22** Senate concurred in House amendments.
- **2025-04-22** Passed final passage; yeas, 33; nays, 15; absent, 0; excused, 0. `passage`
- **2025-04-24** President signed. `passage`
- **2025-04-24** Speaker signed. `passage`
- **2025-04-25** Delivered to Governor. `executive-receipt`
- **2025-05-20** Governor signed. `executive-signature`
- **2025-05-20** Chapter 391, 2025 Laws. `became-law`
- **2025-05-20** Effective date 7/1/2025. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d06382c7-5481-4d3b-90c9-1aac10347907`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Washington legislature records).