“Keep your eye on the ball.”

To Our Defenders:

As we finish up our halftime pause during the Legislative Session, I wanted to share with you a preview of what’s coming during the second half. These are the Top Bills to pay close attention to, as bills switch chambers – from the House to the Senate, and vice verse.

If they become laws, these bills will profoundly steer the direction of our state and impact thousands of families.

This year, these four categories have been used to attack the family: Taxes, Life, Citizenship & Immigration, and Parental Rights. Let’s preview each.

Taxes

By far, the bill that has received the most media attention is the income tax bill SB 6346. Thankfully, a coalition of voices from across the state renounced this bill and set a new record for Washington State registrations with more than 61,000 CON’s. Take a look at these numbers:

Other tax bills are also very much worth keeping an eye on:

• HB 2097 hurts businesses by adding county taxes onto already existing state and city taxes.

• HB 2100 imposes a 5 percent payroll tax on wages above $125,000 per employee.

In turn, such taxes will hurt families and the jobs needed to support them.

Life

A massive push this Session has been against the innocent lives of pre-born babies. In Washington, abortion is a major industry with 454,877 abortions from 2001 to 2022, according to the WA Department of Health. That’s about 17,000 abortions per year, or about 1 abortion every 30 minutes.

Here are three key pro-abortion bills:

• SB 5826 mandates that public higher education institutions provide access to abortion pills for students. The legislation does not take into account the dangers of utilizing the abortion pill: 1 out of 10 women experience severe health consequences, not to mention a dead baby.

• SB 5917 expands the role of the Department of Corrections by authorizing it to acquire, distribute, and dispense abortion pills not only within its custody but to the general public, a function far outside its core mission. This bill effectively turns a corrections agency into a statewide pharmaceutical distributor of abortion pills.

• SB 6182 supports taxpayer-funded abortion here in Washington. The bill establishes an “Abortion Savings Program” within the Department of Health to provide grants that support access to abortions for individuals who lack sufficient resources. To acquire the funds, it imposes a type of “abortion mandate” against some health carriers to pay into the fund.

Citizenship & Immigration

Even the most low-end estimates tell us that some 300,000 illegals reside in Washington State. Some believe the number to be far greater. ICE agents aim to protect our state and our Homeland at large and restore American Identity.

Yet many in Olympia have been pushing anti-ICE and anti-citizenship bills:

• SB 5855 restricts law enforcement officers from wearing most types of face coverings while interacting with the public. The bill overlooks legitimate safety concerns for officers – and their spouses and children – who may face retaliation, targeted harassment, or identification-based threats when their faces must remain fully exposed in all public interactions.

Look at the “Wanted” poster below. Imagine how unsettling it would be if this were your picture – not only unsettling for you, but for your spouse and children, too.

• SB 5068 devalues American citizenship by allowing non-citizens to be hired in several important government positions, including law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and prosecuting attorneys’ offices. That is to say, for instance, non-citizens could arrest, use deadly force against, and prosecute American citizens.

Parental Rights

In our state, parental rights are often undermined and the government aims to put wedges between parents and their children. The truth is that children belong to their parents, and not the government. Government exists to support families.

• SB 5837 builds upon SB 5599, a law from 2023, which currently allows “healthcare” – e.g., transgender surgery – for youth. It builds upon it by establishing a court-appointed “emergency guardian” that would be even more so under state control.

In addition to the Top Bill above, there are two important initiatives that relate directly to parental rights. Both initiatives have qualified with more than 400,000 signatures each, and they are now before the Legislature.

• The first initiative, IL26-638, protects girls’ sports by prohibited biological males from competing against them. The girls featured above have spoken out bravely at many rallies across our state, including on the steps of the Capitol, as well as giving public comment before the Legislature. The issue is not merely what happens on the court or field; the concern is also what happens in shared locker rooms. 

• The second initiative, IL26-001, allows parents access to information at schools about their own children, such as to “review materials and student records, receive certain notifications, and opt students out of certain activities,” says the main sponsor Let’s Go Washington.

Shaping Our State

For good or ill, these bills and initiatives above, if signed into law, will sway the course of our state. As Defenders, we have shown a remarkable voice to support good bills and stand against harmful ones. Once again, I ask you to passionately engage the culture for Christ.

Now you have some Top Bills to follow, and many other important bills can be found by clicking here to see our extensive Bill Library. There you can search by 30 different topics.  

This week we will let our voices be heard as we push toward the finish line. Thank you, in advance, for your efforts!

Defending the family,

Brad Payne, President
FPIW Action