The House concurred in a Senate strike‑all to H606 that consolidates and clarifies court‑ordered firearm relinquishment and storage procedures, adds third‑party storage safeguards (background checks and affidavits), requires victim notification before release, and directs the Department of Public Safety to issue model policies for law enforcement.

The Washington State Clemency and Pardons Board continued Jeffrey Reinhardt’s pardon petition to the December quarterly hearings and asked the Pierce County prosecutor to provide a letter within four weeks documenting efforts to notify victims under RCW 9.94.885(4).

The Multnomah County Board adopted a resolution creating a tiered emergency release plan for juvenile detention that clarifies operational triggers, daily census reporting and victim‑notification procedures. Commissioners amended the resolution to include an addendum and debated requiring DA notification ahead of releases.

Senate Bill 5,945, which narrows the definition of persistent offender and requires resentencing for affected people, drew debate on retroactivity, funding deadlines, victim notification and ISRB review. Several Christian amendments proposed procedural limitations; committee discussion flagged estimated county costs of about $250,000 for resentencing work.

Bill addresses gaps in victim notification for domestic abuse and harassment cases.

A legislative committee reported a suite of bills do-pass, including an expansion of sweepstakes enforcement, tightened drone rules around critical infrastructure, victim notification for clemency hearings and a delay to the Clean Slate expungement IT timeline; most measures cleared the panel by voice vote.

The Pardon & Parole Board presented a flat FY27 budget request while highlighting digitization of pardon processes, SharePoint access for members, reduced release-preparation time, and a plan to move victim notifications to automated texts/emails.

Members discussed adding a callout for electronic subpoenas but DOJ cautioned subpoenas must be delivered under statutory rules; the task force endorsed language to pursue justice-system communication modernizations and to emphasize compliance with the Victims Bill of Rights.

Lawmakers and witnesses reviewed a Senate amendment to H.606 that consolidates firearm‑relinquishment statutes, requires court hearings before third‑party storage, adds background‑check and notice rules, extends limited immunity to participating FFLs, and permits holders to retain proceeds if owners do not reclaim firearms within 90 days. Committee members pressed witnesses on timing, NICS delays and victim notification.

The House Corrections & Institutions Committee heard Sen. Joe Major and parole board director Mary Jane Ainsworth explain Senate amendments that strengthen board training, update parole-board composition, create a pilot for external legal counsel funded by carryover and new appropriations, and clarify victim-notification rules with an opt-out for parole cases; no committee vote was taken.

Members said a DOC staffer who served as the task force's dedicated point person was removed without notice; the committee asked to reconvene stakeholders, clarify statutory notification duties, and have DOC explain internal decision-making and language-access tools.

Oregon Department of Corrections officials told the House Judiciary committee that implementation of the Oregon Supreme Court's Torres Lopez decision required hand review of 11,000 judgments, moved 388 projected release dates, led to 40 immediate releases and returned 22 people to custody; DOC and stakeholders said statutory fixes and victim‑notification language are being developed.

Lawmakers establish definitions for critical legal proceedings impacting youth and victim rights.

The Strafford County Criminal Justice Subcommittee approved its budget recommendations 5–0 on Jan. 28 after hearing presentations on the Department of Corrections, Jail Industries, HOC laundry, dispatch upgrades, and community corrections. Members pressed county staff on revenue tied to ICE and U.S. Marshals contracts and on costs for a new GPS/victim-notification app.

Committee addresses concerns over bail hearings, victim notification, and jail population management.