To Our FPIW Defenders:
Greetings from Olympia! We are about to begin Week 6 of the 2025 Legislative Session, and pending bills are now ready for you to register PRO or CON. You can click on your Washington Defender App or visit our FPWI Action website.
Cut-Off Date
This coming Friday, February 21st, is the first policy cut-off date. This means that any bill without a fiscal impact that has not passed out of committee is “essentially” dead.
I say “essentially” because a bill is never assuredly dead until the very end of Session, or what is called Sine Die, the Latin phrase for “without a day [for future action].” There are mechanisms that will allow the Legislature to resurrect a bill at any time during Session – even in the last few days. But as part of our strategy, this Friday is a reasonable cut-off date to keep in mind.
Legislative Priorities
During my review of bills this week, I came across a post from Brandi Kruse of Undivided. In the post she had listed Democratic bills that highlight one of the Democratic parties priorities … eliminating the consequences for criminal activity. Take a quick glance at a sample:
• HB 1125: Allows judges to reduce prison sentences early.
• HB 1178: Reduces sentences for gang members, gun offenders and adults who produce meth in the presence of children.
• SB 5312: Reduces the punishment for on-line child sexual predators.
Now, these three bills hardly scratch the surface of bad bills filed by Democrats over the past month; however, they reminded me of a couple pertinent Bible verses:
The first is Isaiah 5:20 –
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil,
who put darkness for light and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
The second verse is 2 Corinthians 4:4 –
“And even if our gospel is veiled,
it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers.”
During the past two months while reviewing a plethora of bad bills, I have repeatedly muttered under my breath, “Are they blind?” The short answer is Yes!
I unabashedly question the discernment of unbelievers because they do not see through the lens of a biblical worldview. Furthermore, they do not fear the Lord. Proverbs 9:10 reminds us that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” and 1 Corinthians 3:19 states: “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God.”
Why the mini-sermon?
Because these bad bills remind us of the need to consistently engage in the political realm. We are not called to rest in our salvation … we are called to ‘occupy’ until the Lord returns. And part of occupying is standing for righteousness and justice. Reducing the sentences of criminals and violent gang members, those tho cook meth in the presence of children, and on-line child sexual predators is not taking a stand for righteousness. It is not justice for the victims of those crimes, their families and loved ones.
Naming Names
Finally, there are many Democratic legislators who have sponsored or co-sponsored some truly horrendous bills this Legislative Session. And I am not afraid to publicly name those who support these bills. In fact, I have asked you to contact some of them and voice your displeasure with their legislation.
Senator Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle (see picture above from Fox News), has drawn a lot of negative national attention for his comments against parental rights this past week … and for good reason. He deserves every bit of the ridicule he has received, after he said:
“Kids over 13 have the complete right to make their own decisions about their mental health care. Parents don’t have a right to have notice. They don’t have a right to have consent about that.”
To see the FOX News Special Report on his outrageous comments, click here.
On the other hand, another Democratic representative has quietly filed several bills that I have supported, and I want to give kudos where kudos are deserved.
Rep. Lauren Davis, D-Shoreline, is the primary sponsor of HB 1252, which is designed to hold judges responsible for their pre-trial release of dangerous criminals; HB 1668 which addresses the need for improvement with community custody; HB 1426 which deals with prevention of impaired driving; and HB 1487 which supports victims of crime. She is the co-sponsor of many other good bills. Furthermore, you will find that Rep. Davis name is notably absent from nearly all of the worst bills filed by Democrats this Session.
If you are so inclined, please send an email – click here – to Rep. Davis, and thank her for her sponsorship of the bills I have noted. I believe that hearing from a large number of conservatives will be a great encouragement to Rep. Davis as she strives to represent her blue legislative district with common sense leadership.
Final Reminders
A final reminder to please encourage your church leadership to sign-up for our FPIW Legislative Prayer Tour. We would love to see you at the Capitol!
Also, continue to check our FPIW Action website and our Washington Defender App EVERY SINGLE DAY this week for new Action Alerts. Two new records were set this week for CON registrations on another proposed property tax bill and a mileage tax bill.
That is terrific. Keep voicing your stance on the bills being debated this week … Legislators are taking notice!
Let our voices be heard. Time to register.
Defending the family,
Brad Payne, President
FPIW Action
