February 12, 2026940March 5, 2026471

I, Bernard Dean, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2525 as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth.

Chief Clerk

Secretary of State

State of Washington

SHB 2525.PLSUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2525Passed Legislature2026 Regular Session69th Legislature2026 Regular SessionHouse Postsecondary Education & Workforce (originally sponsored by Representatives Mendoza, Springer, Corry, Dufault, Leavitt, Ley, Ybarra, Bernbaum, Chase, Parshley, Manjarrez, Barnard, Macri, Eslick, and Nance)READ FIRST TIME 02/04/26.Establishing the heritage orchard program. AN ACT Relating to establishing the heritage orchard program; adding a new section to chapter 28B.30 RCW; and creating new sections. Sec. 1.

(1) The legislature finds that the apple is intertwined with the history of Washington and the United States. American propagation of apples began as early as the 1600s and by 1900, there were approximately 20,000 known varieties of apples across North America.

(2) The legislature further finds that:

(a) Since 1900, half of North America's known apple varieties have become extinct; and

(b) Dedicated Washingtonians have discovered at least 29 varieties of apples previously thought to be extinct. Such "lost apples" are often located in small orchards originally planted on homesteads or other family farms.

(3) It is, therefore, the intent of the legislature to create a heritage orchard program to support the conservation of rare apple varieties and to preserve this element of Washington's history.

 Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28B.30 RCW to read as follows:

Washington State University shall establish a heritage orchard program and adopt rules to implement this section.

(1) At minimum, the heritage orchard program must:

(a) Maintain a registry of heritage orchards in Washington, including their locations; and

(b) Develop and maintain a list of rare and lost apple varieties.

(2) For the purposes of this section, "heritage orchard" means:

(a) An orchard with at least five apple trees that are more than 74 years old; or

(b) At least one tree of a rare or lost apple variety, as defined by the heritage orchard program.

 Sec. 3.

If specific funding for the purposes of this act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number, is not provided by June 30, 2026, in the omnibus appropriations act, this act is null and void.