Lawmakers refuse to hear 2026 initiatives to the Legislature
CONTACT: Austin Choate, Legislative Assistant Supervisor | 360-786-7666
Lawmakers refuse to hear 2026 initiatives to the Legislature
Today, the House of Representatives rejected calls from Republican lawmakers on the House Floor to hold public hearings on the people’s initiatives to the Legislature, IL26-001 and IL26-638.
The state constitution states that initiatives to the legislature “…must take precedence over all other measures except appropriation bills.” If the legislature fails to pass the initiatives, they go to the November ballot.
Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, brought a motion to the floor to require committee hearings for both initiatives, which was supported by Rep. Skyler Rude, R-Walla Walla. The motion failed on a party-line vote, with Democrats voting against the motion.
The Parents’ Bill of Rights initiative (I-2081) passed the Legislature in 2024 to strengthen parental engagement and transparency in schools. However, last year, House Bill 1296 passed the legislature, which dismantled key provisions of the Parents’ Bill of Rights initiative from the year before.
Initiatives passed by the people can be changed only with a two-thirds vote of the House and the Senate for the first two years after adoption. By passing the initiative with a legislative vote, the two-thirds requirement does not apply.
“House Democrats clearly passed the initiative in 2024 simply to bypass the two-thirds threshold to gut the initiative the following year with a majority vote,” said Rude, ranking member on the House Education Committee.
After a long signature- gathering effort, and in response to the Legislature circumventing the two-thirds rule last year, IL26-001 was officially introduced today to restore the intent of the 2024 initiative – namely, it repeals provisions of House Bill 1296, which prohibit parent access to critical information about their children, including mental health treatment, medical treatment, school records, and academics.
The second initiative, IL26-638, was introduced to form new policies around Title IX enforcement in our state, following concerns about transgender individuals participating in women’s sports. The initiative clarifies guidelines to prohibit female-identifying transgender athletes from competing against cis gender female athletes. Additionally, it requires the WIAA and other non-profit sports entities to develop policies with public participation.
“This initiative is sensitive and personal to folks who are both for and against the initiative. Regardless of the sensitivity of initiative contents, the legislature has a constitutional duty to give precedence to initiatives in the legislative process,” said Rude. “By refusing to hold hearings on the initiatives, House Democrats gave a clear signal that their constitutional obligation takes a back seat to their strong feelings on the initiative. This is a blatant violation of legislators’ oath to uphold the state constitution.”
Both initiatives have been referred to the House Education Committee and are not expected to receive a public hearing. Rude intends to continue advocating for the committee to schedule public hearings on the initiatives.
