Text of WA SB 6315 (2026)

AN ACT Relating to collecting and publishing disaggregated data 1 to inform state-funded programs, services, and activities; and adding 2 a new chapter to Title 43 RCW. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON: 4 NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that: 5 (1) Data bias, meaning the unfair, inaccurate, or systematically 6 skewing of data, affects women across all racial groups every day. 7 Data bias can show up in many areas related to data, including its 8 collection, storage, analysis, or reporting, or in how it is used for 9 automated decision making. 10 (2) When data is biased, it erases or distorts real experiences, 11 especially for groups that have historically been undercounted or 12 misclassified. This is not done with bad intention or on purpose; it 13 is because society as a whole tends to associate the term "human" 14 with "man." As a result, the voices of women, including those who are 15 black, indigenous, or women of color, are silenced when their 16 opinions and concerns are ignored through the collection, analysis, 17 and reporting of data. Omitting women's perspectives often leads to 18 unintentional male bias, even when labeled as "gender neutral." Data 19 is collected in many ways and if there are no requirements for 20 counting certain groups, they often are not counted. 21 S-4273.1 SENATE BILL 6315 State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session By Senator Shewmake p. 1 SB 6315 (3) Communities most impacted by inequities receive less 1 visibility, fewer resources, and less tailored support. When such 2 data is utilized in policymaking and funding allocation, it may lead 3 to unexpected and potentially costly adverse outcomes. Biased data 4 leads directly to biased policy and budget decisions. Data bias can 5 create direct harm when it leads to inaccurate categorization, false 6 assumptions, or discriminatory outcomes. When people see that data 7 about them is wrong, incomplete, or used against them, they lose 8 trust in government systems. Biased data systems can also create risk 9 for agencies and states. 10 (4) Such adverse outcomes are evidenced in research including the 11 design of automotive safety, personal protective equipment, and 12 medical and pharmaceutical studies. Research findings point to the 13 limitations of using the "adult male" default model that set the 14 standard for automobile crash testing. Additionally, the average 15 physical differences in persons assigned male and female at birth can 16 affect working conditions in a manner that warrants individual or 17 unique attention. Research also highlights the need to go beyond the 18 "average male" in the realm of personal protective equipment. The 19 impacts and benefits of fitting protective equipment for those people 20 who will actually perform the work is critical. Designing protective 21 equipment, gear, and tools without incorporating the different 22 characteristics of diverse populations leaves women and smaller and 23 larger framed individuals at an unacceptable level of risk. 24 (5) Further, research addressing women's health and 25 pharmaceutical issues also points to adverse outcomes when women are 26 not part of the process. Negative outcomes are also apparent in urban 27 planning, park planning, the workplace, public life, and finance. 28 When policymakers fail to account for gender, public spaces become 29 male spaces by default. 30 (6) Even in the present, leading economic indicators do not 31 measure unpaid labor that was historically undertaken by women, such 32 as caregiving, domestic labor, child rearing, elder care, and 33 household management, so they are treated as less important. This 34 means paid labor is affected heavily by the burden of unpaid labor 35 carried by individuals. 36 (7) The following agencies and programs are likely to have 37 particular impacts due to the better publication of data 38 disaggregated particularly on the basis of sex and gender: 39 p. 2 SB 6315 (a) The department of social and health services as related to 1 caseloads, family support, domestic violence services, long-term 2 care, and behavioral health; 3 (b) The department of health as related to public health 4 monitoring, maternal and child health, injury prevention, sexual and 5 reproductive health, and public health interventions; 6 (c) The department of children, youth, and families as related to 7 childcare subsidies, family care supports, and prevention programs; 8 (d) The office of the superintendent of public instruction as 9 related to school health services, after-school programs, and 10 supports that respond to gendered participation and needs; 11 (e) The department of transportation as related to transit 12 safety, lighting, route design, and policing resource allocation to 13 respond to when data shows gendered patterns of mobility and 14 harassment; and 15 (f) The department of commerce as related to shelters, tenant 16 protections, and housing placements when sex-disaggregated 17 homelessness or domestic violence data drives targeted capacity. 18 (8) As artificial intelligence sees increased adoption, it is 19 essential that the elements used by decision makers contain more 20 nuanced data. Progress cannot be made without measurement, and bad 21 data leads to bad resource allocation. 22 (9) Requiring agencies to collect and publish data using the same 23 guidelines and standards will increase consistency between agencies, 24 increase representation in agency data and allow agencies to better 25 measure the impact of agency actions on indicators of community well- 26 being. 27 (10) While the federal government has issued general statistical 28 standards for disaggregating race and ethnicity data, there exist no 29 general federal statistical standards for sex or gender identity. 30 (11) The legislature's intent is to ensure that the voices of 31 women and black, indigenous, and persons of color are incorporated 32 into policymaking processes; ensure that the state makes wise 33 financial decisions using the data it collects; and to strengthen and 34 streamline data collection practices across agencies and when 35 allocating funds. 36 NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) "Covered entity" means: 37 (a) A state entity; 38 (b) A unit of local government; or 39 p. 3 SB 6315 (c) Any entity that receives state funds, except federally 1 recognized Indian tribes or tribal enterprises. 2 (2) "Local government" means a city, town, county, special 3 purpose district, political subdivision, municipal corporation, or 4 quasi-municipal corporation, including a public corporation created 5 by such an entity. 6 (3) "Office" means the office of equity created in RCW 7 43.06D.020. 8 (4) "Personally identifiable information" means information that 9 can identify a person or persons. 10 (5) "State entity" means a state agency, department, office, 11 officer, board, commission, bureau, institution, or institution of 12 higher education. 13 NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) State entities shall collect, analyze, 14 and report data for any study or report, including those that take 15 the form of focus groups, questionnaires, and polls, in compliance 16 with the data disaggregation guidelines developed by the office under 17 RCW 43.06D.040(1)(d)(i)(A) when published. This includes, at a 18 minimum, when publishing findings, reporting data that is 19 disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, and gender identity, as well 20 as other demographic features that may be necessary based on the 21 subject matter and its scope. Until the office's guidelines are 22 published, state agencies shall follow minimum data collection 23 standards for race, ethnicity, sex, and gender identity. 24 (a) For race and ethnicity data, state entities shall, at a 25 minimum, collect, analyze, and publish data in a manner that complies 26 with the United States office of management and budget statistical 27 policy directive number 15: standards for maintaining, collecting, 28 and presenting federal data on race and ethnicity, as published in 29 the federal register (89 Fed. Reg. 22182 (2024)). 30 (b) For sex and gender identity data, state entities shall, at a 31 minimum, collect, analyze, and publish data in a manner identical to 32 the requirements of WAC 246-455-025(6) as it existed on December 31, 33 2025. 34 (2) A state entity that contracts with a covered entity shall 35 include in its procurement and grant documents, including requests 36 for proposals, contracts, and grant agreements, terms to require any 37 study or report, including those that take the form of focus groups, 38 questionnaires, and polls, to collect, analyze, and report on data in 39 p. 4 SB 6315 a manner that complies with subsection (1)(a) and (b) of this 1 section. This includes publishing findings disaggregated by race, 2 ethnicity, as well as by sex and gender identity. The form of the 3 terms that shall be included in any contract or grant agreement shall 4 be a subject of negotiation between the state entity and the covered 5 entity. 6 NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A state entity shall, before collecting, 7 analyzing, or publishing demographic data or initiating any 8 solicitation that is required to comply with section 3 of this act, 9 jointly consult with the office, the office of privacy and data 10 protection established by RCW 43.105.369, the office of the attorney 11 general, and the Washington state institutional review board on best 12 practices for state entities, and the covered entities with which 13 they have contracted, to safeguard against the release of personally 14 identifiable information in the collection and reporting of 15 disaggregated data. The topics on which state entities should consult 16 the named agencies include whether to geographically aggregate the 17 data or to not publish demographic data categories in which low 18 response rates could lead to the identification of a person or 19 persons. 20 NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. State entities shall implement the minimum 21 data disaggregation standards required by this act and implement 22 these standards in their procurement and grant documents by December 23 31, 2026. 24 NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. Sections 1 through 5 of this act 25 constitute a new chapter in Title 43 RCW. 26 --- END --- p. 5 SB 6315