Gov. Bob Ferguson has officially signed into law two critical pieces of legislation prime-sponsored by Sen. Keith Wagoner and designed to eliminate systemic bottlenecks that have delayed justice for both victims and the accused across Washington state.

Senate Bill 5868 and Senate Bill 5880 both secured overwhelming bipartisan support during the 2026 legislative session. These measures address well-documented shortfalls in judicial capacity and a crisis-level backlog in state forensic testing.

SB 5880, which passed both chambers with unanimous support and was signed on March 18, targets the state’s toxicology laboratory, which Wagoner describes as hopelessly overloaded.

“Pending cases are being delayed and dismissed due to thousands of backlogged samples,” Wagoner noted. “This bill allows certified labs to shoulder some of that load, which will reduce the backlog and allow for timely trials. While I hope the state eventually invests enough in our Washington State Patrol labs to make this legislation unnecessary, we cannot allow the current backlog to compromise public safety and the right to a fair trial.”

On March 19, the governor signed SB 5868, which passed the Senate 48-1 and the House 95-0. The new law authorizes the appointment of an additional Superior Court judge in both Skagit and Yakima counties. It was introduced to address a significant caseload crisis documented by the Administrative Office of the Courts.

“Our legal system has many bottlenecks that are delaying justice,” said Wagoner, R-Sedro-Woolley. “One of the limiting factors to a ‘speedy trial’ is the caseload on our judges. Past attempts to add judges have failed to make it through the legislative process, so I am very pleased to see this measure make it across the finish line and finally provide a solution for the citizens of Skagit and Yakima counties.”

Despite the challenges of a short legislative session, Wagoner successfully navigated these priorities to the governor’s desk. “As a member of the minority party, I feel fortunate whenever I am able to pass any legislation,” Wagoner said, reflecting on a session in which many bills died due to time constraints. “These two bills preserve the core policy of ensuring our justice system functions as intended.”

Both Senate Bill 5868 and Senate Bill 5880 will officially go into effect on June 11.