The Quaker Voice Board recognizes that we are in extraordinary times. Threats to our community are rising, and we want to respond. The role that Quaker Voice can play is with our state-level decisionmakers. They have an outstanding record of defending everyone who lives here. We want to support them in those efforts.
The Board has therefore decided to form a temporary Task Force on Human Rights. The charge to this group is to scan for state-level proposed bills or executive actions that either threaten or protect people in the state. The group is currently scanning for bills that affect LGBTQ+ rights; immigrant rights; academic, educational, or religious freedom; or are priorities for Washington racial or indigenous groups.
Jump to the contact form (at the bottom of the page) to be placed on the mailing list for the Task Force on Human Rights or send an email to .
Additional Quaker Voice priority bills can be found at this link.
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LGBTQ+ Rights
HB 1052. Clarifying a hate crime offense. This bill expands what can be prosecuted as a hate crime to those acts motivated “in whole or substantial part” by prejudice, as opposed to existing law in which a hate crime is defined as exclusively motivated by prejudice. Passed by the House in February, it was also passed by the Senate on April 3. It appears to be waiting for reconciliation between the two versions.
SB 5577. Concerning Medicaid coverage for HIV antiviral drugs. This bill requires that Medicaid (“Apple Health”) plans cover all FDA-approved HIV antiviral drugs with no prior authorization or step therapy. Passed by both the House and Senate and signed by the Senate President and the Governor. It is “session law”!
HB 1296. Promoting a safe and supportive public education system. Requires schools to prioritize student safety and privacy. Establishes a statement of student rights. Establishes antiretaliation protections for public school employees supporting students in the exercise of their legal rights. Passed by the House, it was sent to the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12. Executive action taken on April 7.
SB 5490. Body searches in local jail. Providing parameters for conducting searches of transgender and intersex individuals confined in a local jail in compliance with federal law. Passed by the Senate, it was sent to the House Committee on Community Safety. The bill has been referred to the Rules Committee for possible addition to the House floor calendar for a vote.
Immigrant Rights
HB 1232. Concerning private detention facilities. Passed the House and was sent to the Senate Committee on Human Services. Executive action taken in the Senate Ways & Means committee on April 7.
HB 1875. Allowing the use of paid sick leave to prepare for or participate in certain immigration proceedings. Also requires employers to accept documents verifying that use. Passed the House and was sent to the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee. This bill was passed to Senate Rules Committee on March 25 and is now waiting to be placed on the Senate floor calendar for a vote.
SB 5104. Protecting employees from coercion in the workplace based on immigration status. Passed the Senate and went to the House Labor and Workplace Committee. Executive action was taken in the House Committee on Appropriations on Saturday, April 5.
SB 5103. Expediting review of sentences when there exists a pending deportation proceeding. Speeds up petitions for pardons or clemency when there is an urgent need. Clarifies that applicants are eligible without regard to immigration status. Passed Senate and went to the House Community Safety Committee. Executive action was scheduled on March 31, but no action was taken. This bill is unlikely to move forward this year.
SB 5123. Expanding protections for certain students to promote inclusivity in public schools. Adds protected classes to the nondiscrimination provisions that apply to Washington public schools: ethnicity, homelessness, immigration or citizenship status, and neurodivergence. Separates sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity into three separate protected classes. Passed the Senate and went to the House Committee on Education. The bill was scheduled for executive action in the House Committee on Appropriations on April 7, but no action was taken. This bill is unlikely to move forward this year.
Respecting differences in abilities
HB 1432. Improving access to appropriate mental health and substance use disorder services. Passed the House and went to the Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care. The bill is scheduled for executive action in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means on April 8.
SB 5263. Concerning special education funding. The bill has passed the Senate and was sent to the House Committee on Appropriations. Executive action was taken in the House Committee on Appropriations on Saturday, April 5.
Protecting Democracy, Free Speech, and Privacy
ESSB 5181. Amending the Parents Rights Initiative to bring it into alignment with existing law. This bill addresses a number of places where the Parents Right Initiative was not consistent with existing law or policy. These changes protect student privacy and safety and help parents defend their student’s educational rights. This bill passed in the Senate and was sent to the House Committee on Education. It was referred to House Rules on April 2 and is waiting to be moved forward for a floor vote.
SB 5632. Protecting the confidentiality of records and information that may be relevant to another state’s enforcement of its laws. This bill passed the Senate and was sent to the House Committee on Civil Rights and Judiciary. It is now in the House Rules Committee, waiting to be scheduled for a House floor vote.
SB 5179. Establishing a complaint process to address noncompliance with certain state education laws. Sets up a process to investigate and address complaints alleging willful noncompliance with state laws concerning civil rights, including harassment, intimidation, and bullying. This bill passed in the Senate and was sent to the House Committee on Education. It had a public hearing in the House Committee on Education on March 24. It has not been scheduled for executive session and may not be moving forward this year.
SSB 5436. Prohibiting interference with Access to a Place of Worship. Creates crimes related to interference with places of worship. Provides civil remedies for person aggrieved by acts which interfere with places of worship. Passed the Senate and referred to Community Safety Committee in the House. It had executive action scheduled on March 31, but no action was taken. This bill may not be moving forward this year.
Supporting indigenous communities/ dismantling structural racism
HB 1540. Expanding eligibility for the students experiencing homelessness and foster youth program to an accredited tribal college. Passed the House and was sent to the Senate Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development. It was passed to Senate Rules on March 26 and is now on the floor calendar, waiting to be scheduled for a vote of the full Senate.
HB 1696. Modifying the covenant homeownership program. This bill passed the House and received a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Housing on March 19. Two people from Quaker Voice testified. Executive action was taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means on Monday, April 7.
SB 5374. Including tribal representation in certain transportation activities. Requires coordination with affected tribal governments to assess impact of plans on tribal areas. Adds tribal representative to a related Council and sets up a program to help tribes implement traffic safety strategies. This bill passed in the Senate and was sent to the House Local Government Committee, then referred to Committee on Transportation. Scheduled for executive action in the House Committee on Transportation on April 8.
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Our stories
If you have stories to share related to human rights protection or abuse in the state of Washington, please send them to . We will only post them anonymously.
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