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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As the first month of the 2025 legislative session wraps up, we have a lot to recap. In this email, I will share an update on my bills, details regarding a major change to House floor debate rules, and more legislation from the ruling party to restrict your Second Amendment rights. But first, I want to update you on another big issue.
Democrats Attacking Parental Rights Initiative
House Bill House Bill 1296 is currently making its way through the House and is likely to come up for a vote on the floor in the near future. On the surface, the title sounds harmless: “Promoting a safe and supportive education system.” However, this bill would essentially wipe out the Parents’ Bill of Rights (Initiative 2081) that passed the Legislature last year. This initiative reinforced parents’ right to access information about their children’s education and affirmed their role as primary stakeholders.
Unfortunately, HB 1296 seeks to roll back these protections. The bill even includes an emergency clause, preventing citizens from challenging it through a referendum—effectively cutting voters out of the process. I strongly oppose this effort to weaken parental rights.
Republicans strongly oppose this legislation. We introduced several amendments in the House Education Committee to improve it, but the majority rejected all of them. One amendment would have required schools to immediately notify parents or guardians if their child is the victim of misconduct by a school employee, but Democrats voted it down.
If you oppose this bill, I encourage you to contact its sponsor and Democratic legislators to express your opposition.
Update on Gun Rights Bills
Unfortunately, extreme anti-gun proposals have surfaced in Olympia once again, targeting law-abiding citizens rather than addressing the root causes of violence. We have heard from many of you who have expressed concerns about the majority party’s efforts to strip your constitutional rights. We hear you. House Republicans are working to protect your rights.
Good Gun Bills
One of my Republican colleagues just introduced House Bill 1872 to protect your 2nd Amendment rights. I signed on as a co-sponsor. This legislation would add new exemptions to waiting period requirements, assault weapon restrictions, and large capacity magazine restrictions for authorized individuals, including CPL holders, law enforcement officers, federal peace officers, LEOSA card holders, U.S. armed services personnel, shooting sports instructions, and rifle and pistol range instructors. It’s waiting for a hearing.
Additionally, House Bill 1118 would establish a structured process for individuals prohibited from firearm possession to petition to restore their gun rights, ensuring public safety while providing a fair path to regain firearm ownership responsibly. This legislation makes sense. However, it has not progressed passed the initial public hearing.
Bad Gun Bills
House Bill 1163 would prevent a dealer from transferring or delivering a firearm until the purchaser or transferee produces a valid permit to purchase firearms. The application to purchase or transfer of a firearm must include the identification number of the applicant’s permit to buy firearms.
House Bill 1152 would establish secure storage requirements for firearms stored or left in vehicles or residences, subject to various exceptions.
House Bill 1132 would prohibit firearm dealers from delivering more than one firearm to a purchaser or transferee and from delivering more than 100 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition or more than 1,000 rounds of any other caliber of ammunition to a purchaser or transferee within any 30-day period.
All three of these bills have passed the Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee. HB 1163 is in the Appropriations Committee, and the other two are waiting for a vote on the House floor.
Despite their previous proposals facing significant challenges in court, anti-gun legislators and advocacy groups are still pushing for more firearm restrictions. Many of their proposals violate Article 1, Section 24 of the Washington State Constitution, but they continue to move forward.
Restrictive gun control efforts don’t prevent violent crimes; getting criminals off the streets does. Despite the restrictions put in place, homicides, violent assaults, and other crimes have increased. It’s time for lawmakers to focus their efforts on stopping crime instead of imposing further restrictions on responsible gun owners. House Republicans will continue to fight these bad bills.
Majority Party Votes to Weaken Open Debate in the House
During the second week of session, the majority party voted to change a 132-year-old rule in the Washington State House of Representatives requiring a supermajority vote to suspend debate on a bill brought to the floor. The new rule lowers the requirement to a simple majority, giving the majority party significant control over the legislative process.
With the House currently composed of 59 Democrats and 39 Republicans, this change diminishes the minority party’s ability to advocate for their constituents. This is troubling for the 3 million Washingtonians whose voices can now be silenced at any time. It undermines the democracy and deliberative nature of the House and erodes the balance that allows for meaningful debate.
Read more here:
- The Spokesman-Review – Republican lawmakers protest rule change they say could limit House debate
- The Center Square – A House Dems change 132-year-old rule requiring supermajority to end debates
- The Seattle Times – New rules adopted by WA House Democrats spark Republican ire
Update on My Legislation
I have filed three bills so far this session, and here’s an update on their progress.
House Bill 1559 would repeal legislation that passed along party lines in 2023. Senate Bill 5765 authorized the Legislature to impose tolls to help pay for the project. Proponents argue tolls are an important way to pay for a new bridge. However, the exact mechanisms have yet to be determined, and opponents argue tolling has many downsides. Tolling is a hugely regressive tax, harming hard-working, low- and middle-income families the most. We don’t need to create “roads for the rich” or “Lexus lanes” where only wealthy people can afford to use the tolled bridge. Unfortunately, this bill has yet to receive a public hearing.
House Bill 1857 would prohibit the use of asbestos-containing building materials in new construction or renovations in most cases. It is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Environment and Energy Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 4:00 p.m.
House Bill 1869 would specifically prohibit the Washington State Department of Transportation from spending money on any transportation capital project owned and operated in another state. Washington taxpayers should not be paying a penny to buy anything for TriMet. C-Tran has been operating buses into Portland for decades, and TriMet has never paid anything to help C-Tran or Clark County taxpayers. This money belongs to Washington and should be used for Washington projects. The legislation would specifically target Portland’s TriMet and the proposed $2 billion, 1.8-mile MAX light rail extension into Vancouver. HB 1869 is currently waiting for a public hearing in the Transportation Committee. Click here to learn more, and click on the image below to watch a short video of me explaining the bill in detail.
Read more about this issue here:
The Columbian – Editorial: Closely reexamine funding options for light rail
The Reflector – Residents say no to light rail with interstate bridge project
Please Stay in Touch
Thank you again for your support. Please continue reaching out to offer your input. I’m here to serve you.
It’s an honor.
Sincerely,
John Ley
