Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official page posted by the Washington Legislature, fetched 2026-08-29. This is the chaptered version. The official bill page.
CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT ENGROSSED HOUSE BILL 2156 Chapter 242, Laws of 2026 69TH LEGISLATURE 2026 REGULAR SESSION ATTORNEY GENERAL—AUTHORITY OF INVESTIGATORS EFFECTIVE DATE: June 11, 2026 Passed by the House March 11, 2026 Yeas 54 Nays 41 LAURIE JINKINS Speaker of the House of Representatives Passed by the Senate March 5, 2026 Yeas 29 Nays 19 DENNY HECK President of the Senate CERTIFICATE I, Bernard Dean, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is ENGROSSED HOUSE BILL 2156 as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth. BERNARD DEAN Chief Clerk Chief Clerk Approved March 30, 2026 2:35 PM FILED March 31, 2026 BOB FERGUSON Governor of the State of Washington Secretary of State State of Washington ENGROSSED HOUSE BILL 2156 AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE Passed Legislature - 2026 Regular Session State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session By Representatives Obras, Goodman, Leavitt, Reed, Zahn, Thomas, Gregerson, Ormsby, Reeves, Thai, Macri, Fosse, and Salahuddin; by request of Attorney General Prefiled 12/16/25. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee on Community Safety. AN ACT Relating to the authority of investigators of the attorney general's office; and adding a new section to chapter 43.10 RCW. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON: NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 43.10 RCW to read as follows: (1) The attorney general shall designate investigator positions that are limited authority Washington peace officers as defined in RCW 10.93.020. (2) An investigator designated as a limited authority Washington peace officer under this section may investigate economic and financial crimes. (3) The authority of an investigator in this section does not include the power to detain or arrest, and an investigator shall not be armed. (4) The authority of an investigator in this section to serve search warrants is limited to electronic service on a business after the search warrant is approved by a judicial officer. An investigator shall not physically serve a search warrant for business records. (5) An investigator who is a limited authority Washington peace officer under this section is subject to all applicable requirements in chapter 43.101 RCW, including but not limited to training and criminal background checks. (6) The attorney general shall not employ any person as a limited authority Washington peace officer investigator if that person's history or conduct meets the standards requiring denial, suspension, or revocation of an officer's certification under RCW 43.101.105. (7) The investigative authority or criminal jurisdiction of any other law enforcement agency is not modified by this section. (8) For the purposes of this section, "investigator" means an employee of the office of the attorney general whose job responsibilities include investigation of a suspected economic or financial crime. "Investigator" does not include office of the attorney general personnel identified in RCW 74.67.010. Passed by the House March 11, 2026. Passed by the Senate March 5, 2026. Approved by the Governor March 30, 2026. Filed in Office of Secretary of State March 31, 2026.
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