House Bill 1201, Accommodations Allowing Pets in an Emergency (Washington, 2025)

Summary

House Bill 1201, State of Washington, 2025 Regular Session, by Representatives Leavitt, Ryu, Macri, Bronoske, Simmons, and Berg, prefiled 01/08/25 and read first time 01/13/25, then referred to Committee on Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans. The act relates to identifying accommodations allowing pets in an emergency or extreme weather event. The legislature finds that pets are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather conditions and that pet ownership is a significant factor in evacuation decisions. A county or city shall, to the extent practicable based on available resources and site-specific circumstances, consider emergency shelters, cooling centers, and warming centers able to accommodate persons with pets in each update of a local comprehensive emergency management plan.

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Full text

     H-0375.1

                                HOUSE BILL 1201


     State of Washington       69th Legislature       2025 Regular Session

     By Representatives Leavitt, Ryu, Macri, Bronoske, Simmons, and Berg

     Prefiled 01/08/25. Read first time 01/13/25. Referred to Committee
     on Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans.




1        AN ACT Relating to identifying accommodations allowing pets in an
2    emergency or extreme weather event; adding a new section to chapter
3    38.52 RCW; and creating a new section.


 4   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:


 5       NEW SECTION.     Sec. 1.     The legislature finds that natural
 6   disasters and extreme weather events, including wildfire, flooding,
 7   earthquakes, extreme heat, and extreme cold present severe risks to
 8   public health and safety in Washington.
 9       The legislature further finds that pets are particularly
10   vulnerable   to  extreme   weather  conditions,  including   risk  of
11   heatstroke-related illness and death.
12       The legislature further finds that many families consider their
13   pets to be family members. One of the most significant factors
14   affecting evacuation decisions is pet ownership. Pet owners may
15   refuse evacuation, attempt to reenter evacuated sites to rescue their
16   pets, and experience grief, depression, and posttraumatic stress
17   disorder due to separation from their pet during an emergency. In
18   addition, zoonotic disease risks increase when pets are abandoned or
19   left to roam during an evacuation.



                                     p. 1                           HB 1201
 1       The legislature further finds that gaps in public preparedness
 2   and cosheltering opportunities during a disaster or extreme weather
 3   event increase the risk to public health and safety.
 4       The   legislature    further   finds    that    partnerships  with
 5   nongovernmental   organizations   support    emergency   planning  and
 6   preparedness and may be used to support identification and operation
 7   of coshelters.
 8       Therefore, the legislature intends to provide guidance in
 9   increasing public preparedness and identifying shelters that can
10   accommodate pets so that in the event of a disaster or extreme
11   weather event, Washington residents will not have to choose between
12   seeking safety and staying with their pets.

13       NEW SECTION.   Sec. 2.   A new section is added to chapter 38.52
14   RCW to read as follows:
15       (1) A county or city, under existing plan structures, shall, to
16   the extent practicable based on available resources and site-specific
17   circumstances, consider emergency shelters, cooling centers, and
18   warming centers able to accommodate persons with pets in each update
19   of its local comprehensive emergency management plan required by RCW
20   38.52.070.
21       (a) A local comprehensive emergency management plan must:
22       (i) Identify at least one emergency shelter within a county or
23   city's jurisdiction, to the extent practicable, that can accommodate
24   persons with pets;
25       (ii) Identify at least one cooling center within a county or
26   city's jurisdiction, to the extent practicable, that can accommodate
27   persons with pets; and
28       (iii) Identify at least one heating center within a county or
29   city's jurisdiction, to the extent practicable, that can accommodate
30   persons with pets.
31       (b) An emergency shelter that is identified to accommodate
32   persons with pets must have safety procedures regarding the
33   sheltering of pets and comply with disaster assistance policies and
34   procedures published by the federal emergency management agency.
35       (2) A county or city shall provide pet emergency preparedness
36   information on its website, including:
37       (a) To the extent practicable, whether each designated emergency
38   shelter, cooling center, or heating center can accommodate pets;


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 1       (b) Information for creating a pet evacuation plan and emergency
 2   checklist, consistent with the federal emergency management agency
 3   recommendations; and
 4       (c) Identification of local organizations that provide emergency
 5   pet assistance.
 6       (3) The following definitions apply to this section:
 7       (a) "Cooling center" means a facility that mitigates the public
 8   health impacts of extreme heat;
 9       (b) "Emergency shelter" means a temporary location that provides
10   basic shelter for individuals affected by an emergency or disaster;
11       (c) "Pet" means a domesticated animal, such as a dog or cat, that
12   is commonly kept in the home for pleasure rather than for commercial
13   purposes; and
14       (d) "Warming center" means a facility that mitigates the public
15   health impacts of extreme cold.

                                  --- END ---




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