Official Text and Analysis.

Requires state agencies and political subdivisions to provide public notices in a manner most effective at communicating with significant segments of the community who speak a language other than English.

Retains the intent section, but removes all other provisions of the underlying bill, which: (a) Required state agencies and local jurisdictions to provide specified emergency and safety-related notices and services in a manner that has been determined to be most effective in communicating with significant segments of a community that speak a language other than English; and (b) Required each political subdivision to maintain or have access to updated demographic and language information for its jurisdiction. (2) Replaces the removed provisions with provisions that do the following: (a) Provides that, during proclaimed emergencies, state agencies when required by law or rule, and political subdivisions, must provide life safety information in a language or manner that can be understood by significant population segments unless technologically infeasible. (b) Requires local organizations and joint local organizations for emergency management to include communication plans addressing emergency notification of life safety information to significant population segments as part of local comprehensive emergency management plans.

Requires state agencies to provide life safety information during emergencies proclaimed by the Governor (rather than during emergencies or disasters generally) and limits the requirement to circumstances in which the state agency is required by law or rule to provide life safety information. Codifies the requirement in chapter 1.20 RCW (general provisions) rather than chapter 38.52 RCW (emergency management). (2) Removes the requirement that, during proclaimed emergencies, political subdivisions must provide life safety information in a language or manner that can be understood by significant population segments. (3) Provides that state agencies are obligated to provide life safety information during emergencies "to the extent technologically feasible" (rather than "unless technologically infeasible"), and removes the requirement to report to the Legislature when life safety information is not provided due to technological infeasibility.

Senate refuses to concur in House amendments.

Requires, beginning December 1, 2019, that a state agency that provides life safety information in an emergency or disaster: (i) Must provide to the Legislature a copy of its current communication plan for notifying significant population segments of life safety information, including the agency's point of contact; and (ii) must also submit an annual report to the Legislature identifying those instances of emergency or disaster in the preceding year in which life safety information was provided and what strategies and means were used to notify citizens with limited English proficiency. (b) Requires local organizations and joint local organizations for emergency management to include communication plans addressing emergency notification of life safety information to significant population segments as part of local comprehensive emergency management plans, and to implement those communication plans. (c) Requires local organizations and joint local organizations to submit their communication plans to the Military Department Emergency Management Division at specified intervals, and requires the Military Department to submit a report to the Legislature every five years, beginning December 1, 2019, containing the status of the local communication plans. (d) Provides that, during emergency or disaster after-action reviews, local organizations and joint local organizations must evaluate the effectiveness of communication of life safety information, and inform the Military Department of technological challenges which limited communication efforts, along with recommendations and resources needed to address those challenges. Requires the Military Department to annually report to the Legislature, beginning December 1, 2019, regarding instances of emergencies or disasters in which communication of life safety information was technologically infeasible, and, when potential technology solutions exist, any recommendations and an estimate of resources required to remedy the infeasibility. (e) Defines "significant population segments" as those limited English proficient groups comprising five percent, or 1,000 residents, whichever is less, of the affected population, as determined using the Office of Financial Management's limited English proficiency population estimates. (f) Defines "life safety information" as information provided to people during a response to a life-threatening emergency or disaster informing them of actions they can take to preserve their safety. (g) Adds a null and void clause.