Title
AN ORDINANCE regarding membership on the King County board of health; and amending Ordinance 19418, Section 1, as amended, and K.C.C. 2.35.021, Ordinance 19418, Section 3, as amended, and K.C.C. 2.35.022, and Ordinance 19418, Section 5, as amended, and K.C.C. 2.35.026.
Body
STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. Created in 2004 in accordance with state law, the King County board of health sets countywide public health policy, enacts and enforces local public health regulations and carries out the duties of local boards of health as specified in RCW 70.05.060 including preventing and controlling the spread of infectious disease, abating nuisances and establishing fee schedules for licenses and permits.
2. In May 2025, Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1946 was signed into law as Chapter 260, Laws of Washington 2025, clarifying tribal membership on local boards of health. Chapter 260, Laws of Washington 2025 requires that the membership of the King County board of health be modified to include a tribal representative from any federally recognized tribe whose reservation or trust lands are within the county; and any urban Indian organization recognized by the Indian health service, registered as a 501(c)(3) organization in Washington that serves American Indian and Alaska Native people, and is providing services within the county. Those changes to state law go into effect on July 27, 2026.
3. Additionally, Chapter 260, Laws of Washington 2025 requires the Washington state Board of Health to clarify its local board of health composition rules and timelines for including tribal representation on local boards of health in Chapter 246-90 WAC. The new rules are expected to be effective by July 27, 2026.
4. The King County board of health administrator reached out to the eligible tribes and 501(c)(3) organization including the Snoqualmie Tribe, the Muckleshoot Tribe, and the Seattle Indian Health Board, on August 11, 2025, in order to create the new board positio...
Click here for full text