The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Leonard Christian’s subscribers March 7, 2025. To subscribe to Sen. Christian’s e-newsletters, click here.
Speaking on the Senate floor against bill requiring clergy to betray confidentiality. To see speech, click here.
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
On Thursday, we reached the midway point of our 2025 legislative session. Our focus has shifted to the House and Senate floors, where we are debating the hundreds of bills that survived the committee process. These are the bills that our majority counterparts have decided are worthy of advancement. And I am afraid this is shaping up as another year of extreme legislation that continues taking our state down the wrong path.
Over the last week, we have debated measures that attack freedom of religion, Second Amendment rights and local control of schools. And there’s more. Coming right up are measures that would – among other things – weaken public safety, prevent cities from shutting down homeless encampments, significantly increase unemployment insurance costs for business, impose rent control on landlords (and further constrict the supply of housing), and double down on the costly clean-fuel mandates that already have given Washington state some of the highest fuel costs in the nation.
Let me tell you about a few of the bills that have cleared the Senate in recent days:
- The ‘Pastors in Prison’ bill – Senate Bill 5375 intrudes on the most sacred of relationships, between pastors and penitents, by requiring church authorities to report suspicions of child abuse or neglect to law enforcement authorities. While the goal is noble, the mechanism is not, intruding on the confessional and other communications that have always been privileged. The bill holds priests, clergy and Christian Science practitioners responsible for acts they do not commit and is a demonstration of governmental disrespect for our religious institutions. I am concerned this legislation sets the framework to force pastors to choose between God’s law and man’s law — and could leave them facing jail time. This bill passed the Senate on a 28-20 vote and now moves to the House.
- More restrictions for gun owners – As if we don’t have enough rules already for law-abiding gun owners, Senate Bill 5098 imposes a confusing patchwork of prohibitions on firearms possession in public places, including state and local public buildings, county fairgrounds, and parks and playgrounds where children are likely to be present. Local governments are supposed to put up signs where guns are prohibited, but failure to provide notice would not exempt gun owners from gross misdemeanor charges. Unfortunately, measures like these do not protect anyone, because no law can ever deter people with malicious intent from going where they please. Mostly they provide another excuse to jail those who exercise their constitutionally protected Second Amendment rights. This bill was sent to the House on a 28-21 vote.
- Forcing transgender ideology on public schools – In the name of “anti-discrimination,” Senate Bill 5123 uses our public schools to make a political statement and perhaps force a showdown with the feds on the girls’ sports issue. The bill expands state law banning discrimination in the public schools to encompass new “protected classes,” and is aimed in large part at forcing public schools to embrace transgender participation in girls’ sports. Does anyone really think our schools should become vessels for the promotion of the latest far-left political crusade? The bill jeopardizes federal funding, forces schools to emphasize political ideology over academics, and further weakens public support for our public education system. The bill passed the Senate 30-19 with no Republican support.
Our next major deadline for the passage of bills is next Wednesday. The “house of origin” cutoff requires the House and Senate to pass policy-related bills introduced in their respective chambers. Looking at the floor calendars in both chambers, we can see a torrent of legislation is headed our way whose main purpose is to promote political ideology and eliminate opportunities for public dissent.
One significant category is legislation designed to weaken criminal sentences and put convicted felons on the streets sooner – see below. And once we pass next week’s deadline, we will begin debate on the budget and a full slate of measures designed to raise billions of dollars in new taxes. Republicans will lead the resistance on these issues, but changing the state’s course will require a change in legislative leadership.
In the news:
Sharp debates in Senate call attention to extreme legislation
To see KING-TV report on clergy-reporting bill, click here.
Now that action has moved to the Senate floor, I have found myself in the forefront of our most contentious debates. It was my honor to speak to KING-5 television about the clergy-reporting bill, and to help articulate our position on Second Amendment rights on the John Carlson Show on KVI radio. Here are some of the most significant stories of the last couple of weeks.
KVI radio — “Commute with Carlson,” March 6
Spokesman-Review — Washington Senate passes bill to make clergy mandatory reporters of child abuse
What are they thinking?
Criminal justice edition
Public safety is a major issue this session as the majority party continues its effort to reduce criminal sentences and qualify felons for early release. Here are some of the year’s worst proposals.
- HB 1178: Eliminates certain gang-related sentence enhancements for offenders who commit crimes with firearms.
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- SB 5133: Reduces criminal sentences when the offender is a primary caregiver.
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- SB 5219: Lets felons out of prison and into partial confinement programs six months earlier than current law.
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- SB 5266: Allows juveniles convicted of serious crimes before age 18 to petition for early release after they reach age 24, as long as they commit fewer than three murders and none of them are in the first degree. Bill also provides them with rental assistance.
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A special guest from Spokane Valley
Helping with ceremonies in the Senate this week was Gary Hebden, pastor emeritus of The Intersection Open Bible Church in Spokane Valley, who led the invocation on March 4. I was proud to host my good friend Pastor Hebden as my special guest.
Reminder: Town Hall meeting set for March 15
You’re invited to my town hall meeting Saturday March 15 in Spokane Valley. We will be discussing the 2025 legislative session, and I am looking forward to your questions. This meeting will be at Sun City Church, 10920 East Sprague Ave. in Spokane Valley. Doors open at 9:30 a.m., and the town hall is from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. I hope you can come!
Thanks to Ethan Matthews for serving as a Senate page!
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This week I had the opportunity to host 15-year-old Ethan Matthews of Shelton as a Senate page. The Senate page program gives youths age 14 to 16 the opportunity to spend a week working in the Legislature. For more information about the Senate page program, click here. The last day to submit applications for the 2025 program is March 17. |
Thanks for reading,
Leonard Christian
4th Legislative District
Contact us!
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If you have a concern about state government, or a problem with a state agency, please do not hesitate to contact my office. My most important duty is to serve you.
Mailing address: Post Office Box 40404, Olympia, WA 98504 Email: Leonard.Christian@leg.wa.gov Phone: (360) 786-7606 Leave a message on the Legislative Hotline: 1 (800) 562-6000 |
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