Initiatives to the Legislature take step forwardFree

Supporters of two citizen initiatives, one focused on parental rights and another on barring transgender athletes from girls’ sports, moved closer Friday to getting those measures before the Legislature and potentially voters.

The political committee Let’s Go Washington turned in signatures in support of the initiatives on Friday at the secretary of state’s office in Tumwater.

Let’s Go Washington said supporters collected 416,201 signatures on petitions for IL26-001. This initiative would repeal changes that legislators made last year to an earlier Let’s Go Washington initiative that codified rights for parents of public school children.

The other initiative, IL26-638, seeks to block transgender girls from competing in girls’ sports. Backers gathered 445,187 signatures for that measure, Let’s Go Washington said.

Initiative sponsors were advised to turn in at least 386,000 signatures. Friday was the deadline for gathering the signatures.

Both measures are initiatives to the Legislature, meaning they would go before lawmakers for consideration in the session that begins Jan. 12. The secretary of state’s office will now verify the submitted signatures to confirm the initiatives can move forward.

“This is not a partisan issue, this is a common sense issue,” said Brian Heywood, the hedge fund manager who leads Let’s Go Washington. He said that about half of those who’d signed the initiative petitions were independents or Democrats. “This has broad support.”

Critics of the latest Let’s Go Washington initiatives say they pose safety risks for vulnerable students, including LGBTQ+ students and those seeking mental health support at school.

“Let’s Go Washington is playing political games with the lives of vulnerable trans and queer kids,” said Sophia Lee, a board member with the Gender Justice League.

“While most parents are loving and supportive, the reality is not all kids are safe at home, and need to turn to a trusted teacher or school counselor for help,” Lee added.

Lee’s statement was issued by WA Families for Freedom, a group opposed to the initiatives that has support from Service Employees International Union 775, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington and the Washington Education Association, which is the state’s largest union representing public school employees.

Lawmakers have three paths they can take if the submitted signatures are verified.

They can approve the initiatives, making them law. They can reject the initiatives, sending them to the ballot for voters to decide in November’s election. Or they could pass an alternative to the proposed initiatives, and both versions would go to the ballot.

Also on Friday, Washington Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, canceled an appointment that he’d made to turn in signatures for an initiative to the Legislature that called for proof of citizenship to be required for voter registration in Washington.

Walsh said he planned to refile the measure as an initiative to the people and would attempt to get it qualified for the November ballot.

The secretary of state’s office said Friday it would likely take three to four weeks to review the signatures for the Let’s Go Washington initiatives. In the meantime, the office will provide the Legislature with a “provisional certification” to make lawmakers aware of the initiatives.

Assuming that the signatures in support of the initiatives are verified, it will mark the third consecutive year that the Legislature will grapple with issues surrounding parental rights, transgender students and diversity, equity and inclusion in schools.

IL26-001, the initiative focused on parental rights, would roll back changes to state law made during the 2025 legislative session by House Bill 1296.

That bill made revisions to Initiative 2081, the so-called parents’ bill of rights, which lawmakers approved in 2024. Initiative 2081, backed by Let’s Go Washington, established certain rights for the parents of public school students under age 18.

Among the changes in House Bill 1296 was to remove a guarantee for parents to be able to access student medical records. Republicans criticized the Democratic-backed rewrite of Initiative 2081 as undermining the initiative.

Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, the lead sponsor of House Bill 1296, said her understanding is that IL26-001 would not affect key aspects of the law, such as guaranteeing students a school environment free of discrimination, harassment and bullying.

She said it was still too early to say how Democrats, who hold majorities in the House and Senate, might handle the initiative if it does end up before the Legislature.