Washington lawmakers move to weaken the initiative process and repeal the Parental Notification Law

Washington Democrats are moving forward with two bills that undermine citizens’ influence over state policy. Senate Bill 5382 would impose new restrictions on the state’s initiative process, making it significantly harder for grassroots campaigns to place measures on the ballot. Meanwhile, Senate Bill 5181 seeks to repeal a recently enacted parental notification law— one that many lawmakers voted for while up for election but now, with their seats secured, are looking at rolling back.

SB 5382: Making citizen-led initiatives nearly impossible

Washington is one of 26 states with an initiative process where voters are empowered to bring forth policy change themselves. In a state rampant with government overreach, unchecked government spending, and lofty policy goals, initiatives have played a crucial role in keeping our elected officials in check—which lawmakers do not like. Hence, SB 5382, a bill that would make it significantly harder to qualify an initiative for the ballot.

SB 5382 shortens the timeline for collecting signatures, giving campaigns less time to gather support. It requires every signature gatherer to register with the state, creating additional bureaucratic hurdles. Petition circulators would also face legal risks, further discouraging participation, and the bill requires a more onerous verification process by the Secretary of State, so much so that current Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, a Democrat, has come out in opposition to the bill.

Senate Minority Leader John Braun warned, “We refer to this one as the initiative killer, as it will most certainly make it more difficult for the people putting signatures together and make the process less democratic… This is pushing aside the voter because [lawmakers] weren’t happy with the initiatives that were put before them last year.”

SB 5181: Repealing a law forced by the people

And then there’s SB 5181, targeting a parental notification law which was passed just last year. The law, which requires parents to be notified if their minor child seeks gender-related medical treatment and allows parents greater ability to know what’s happening to their kids at school, wasn’t introduced by legislators—it was forced onto their agenda through the initiative process. Facing strong public support for the measure, lawmakers chose to pass it themselves rather than let it go to a public vote. Many Democratic legislators, with the election in sight, voted in favor to avoid public backlash. It even passed unanimously in the Senate.

Now that the election is over, Washington lawmakers are working to undo the very law they enacted months ago. Majority Leader Senator Jamie Pedersen, the bill’s sponsor, has drawn national attention for arguing that 13-year-olds should be able to make their own medical decisions without parental involvement. Pederson explained that the viral clip misconstrued his point, and that he was explaining the existing law on the books. But

Voter rights at stake

The passage of SB 5382 and SB 5181 would mark a significant shift away from voter influence in Washington. The initiative process has long been a tool for citizens to bypass lawmakers who refuse to act on issues of public concern. If initiatives are made unworkable and voter-driven laws are quietly repealed after elections, what recourse do Washingtonians have left?

Lawmakers work for the people—not the other way around.

Contact your legislators today and demand they reject these bills that undermine our democracy.

Find Your Legislator & Take Action