SB 5891

S-3617.1
  SENATE BILL 5891
State of Washington       69th Legislature       2026 Regular Session
By Senators Wagoner, Kauffman, Frame, Nobles, Shewmake, and C. Wilson
Prefiled 12/15/25. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee
on State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections.
1      AN ACT Relating to preserving records and artifacts regarding the
2  historical treatment of people with intellectual and developmental
3  disabilities at Northern state hospital; creating new sections; and
4  providing an expiration date.
5  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
6     NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature intends that the secretary
7 of state organize, catalogue, and store records existing in the
8 Northern state hospital archives and that they be held in perpetuity,
9 preserving documents related to the memories of those who lived and
10 worked at Northern state hospital, honoring their lives and who they
11 were as people.
12     NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) The division of archives and records
13 management, working with the University of Washington institute on
14 human development and disability, the department of social and health
15 services,   and   the    department   of   archaeology   and  historic
16 preservation,   shall   create   a  preservation   plan  to  organize,
17 catalogue,   and   store   the  historical   documents  and  artifacts
18 identified at Northern state hospital, a state-operated facility.
19 Historical documents and artifacts may include but are not limited to
20 medical records, letters, images, films, and artifacts of past
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1 residents with intellectual or developmental disabilities at Northern
2 state hospital.
3     (2) The preservation plan shall:
4     (a) Identify all the records and artifacts that are available and
5 at risk of destruction;
6     (b) Assess the condition of the records and artifacts and level
7 of preservation required, including but not limited to the age of the
8 record, the material used, and environmental conditions in which the
9 items have been stored;
10     (c) Outline the steps that will be taken to preserve the records
11 and artifacts. This includes how the records will be stored, where
12 they will be stored, how they will be handled and transported, and
13 how they will be restored if they are in danger of falling into
14 disrepair, dysfunction, or destruction. The plan must also include
15 how the records will be catalogued, digitized, and transferred to
16 archival microfilm for long-term access; and
17     (d) Include a timeline for the preservation work and an overall
18 budget for the work. The plan must be reported to the appropriate
19 committees of the legislature by September 1, 2027.
20     (3) The plan described in this section must also include future
21 plans for public access for historical and educational purposes.
22     (4) The division of archives and records management and the
23 department of social and health services shall work together in
24 storing and retaining the records described in this act, from
25 Northern state hospital. No records shall be destroyed until the
26 preservation plan is completed and the work is funded during fiscal
27 year 2028.
28     (5) Indirect costs to the University of Washington for this
29 project are limited to 15 percent.
30    NEW SECTION.   Sec. 3.   This act expires June 30, 2028.
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