wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > SB 5891 > Original Bill
The legislature intends that the secretary of state organize, catalogue, and store records existing in the Northern state hospital archives and that they be held in perpetuity, preserving documents related to the memories of those who lived and worked at Northern state hospital, honoring their lives and who they were as people.
The division of archives and records management, working with the University of Washington institute on human development and disability, the department of social and health services, and the department of archaeology and historic preservation, shall create a preservation plan to organize, catalogue, and store the historical documents and artifacts identified at Northern state hospital, a state-operated facility. Historical documents and artifacts may include but are not limited to medical records, letters, images, films, and artifacts of past residents with intellectual or developmental disabilities at Northern state hospital.
The preservation plan shall:
Identify all the records and artifacts that are available and at risk of destruction;
Assess the condition of the records and artifacts and level of preservation required, including but not limited to the age of the record, the material used, and environmental conditions in which the items have been stored;
Outline the steps that will be taken to preserve the records and artifacts. This includes how the records will be stored, where they will be stored, how they will be handled and transported, and how they will be restored if they are in danger of falling into disrepair, dysfunction, or destruction. The plan must also include how the records will be catalogued, digitized, and transferred to archival microfilm for long-term access; and
Include a timeline for the preservation work and an overall budget for the work. The plan must be reported to the appropriate committees of the legislature by September 1, 2027.
The plan described in this section must also include future plans for public access for historical and educational purposes.
The division of archives and records management and the department of social and health services shall work together in storing and retaining the records described in this act, from Northern state hospital. No records shall be destroyed until the preservation plan is completed and the work is funded during fiscal year 2028.
Indirect costs to the University of Washington for this project are limited to 15 percent.
This act expires June 30, 2028.