In one paragraph
Washington's Chapter 257, Laws of 2020 (ESSB 6280) governs state and local government use of facial recognition services (chapter 43.386 RCW). Before use, an agency must give notice to its legislative authority and publish an accountability report after public comment and community meetings. Decisions with legal or similarly significant effects require meaningful human review; services must be tested in operational conditions and vendors must allow independent accuracy and bias testing. Ongoing surveillance, real-time identification and persistent tracking need a warrant, exigent circumstances or a court order. The governor vetoed section 10 (a task force). Effective July 1, 2021.
Plain-English summary, written with AI assistance. The official text controls.
What it means for business
Facial recognition vendors selling to Washington agencies must support independent bias testing and disclose bias complaints; agencies face reporting and review duties.
Key provisions
- Notice of intent and a public accountability report before an agency develops, procures or uses a facial recognition service
- Meaningful human review of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects
- Operational testing before deployment; vendors must offer an API or similar for independent accuracy and bias testing
- Periodic training for staff who operate the service or process its results
- Warrant, exigent circumstances or court order required for ongoing surveillance, real-time identification or persistent tracking
- Results cannot alone establish probable cause; use based on protected characteristics or First Amendment activity is barred
- Section 10 (facial recognition task force) vetoed
Latest legislative action
Mar 31, 2020. Governor partially vetoed. Chapter 257, 2020 Laws PV. Effective date 7/1/2021.
Sponsors (showing 5 of 10)
| Name | Role | District |
|---|---|---|
| Claire Wilson D | Sponsor | SD-030 |
| Emily Randall D | Sponsor | SD-026 |
| Jamie Pedersen D | Sponsor | SD-043 |
| Jesse Salomon D | Sponsor | SD-032 |
| Joe Nguyen D | Sponsor | SD-034 |
Roll call votes (showing 3 of 4)
H House Final Passage as recommended by the Conference Committee Mar 12, 2020
53 yea43 nay2 otherPassed
S Senate Final Passage as Recommended by Conference Committee Mar 12, 2020
27 yea21 nay1 otherPassed
H House Final Passage as Amended by the House Mar 6, 2020
63 yea33 nay2 otherPassed
Topics and industries
Related topics
Affected industries
This page is general information, not legal advice. Summaries are AI-assisted and may contain errors; read the statute for the controlling text and talk to a lawyer about your situation. Full disclaimer · Report an error