Public Safety Initiative sent to the Legislature
Time to encourage the Legislature to take action
For the past several years, conservatives in Washington have circulated multiple initiatives, trying to collect enough signatures to present the initiatives to the Legislature. If you’ve signed one of these many proposals, you may have become a bit discouraged. It seems like the efforts have always fallen a bit short.
The good news is that no effort is wasted, and the years of patient effort have finally lead to success!
On Thursday, Jan. 11, Initiative 2113 on police pursuits was officially certified by the Secretary of State. If enacted, the initiative would amend the state’s controversial police pursuit law by restoring “the authority of police officers to engage in a pursuit when there is a reasonable suspicion a person has violated the law.”
In a press release, Rep. Jim Walsh, the sponsor and author of the initiative, called for swift action. Walsh said, “We can take practical steps to combat rising crime rates and make our neighborhoods safe again. I-2113 enjoys broad and strong support across the state, transcending political and demographic lines...People understand the purpose of I-2113 and wholeheartedly support it.”
Walsh continued, “I urge legislators in Olympia to stand with the people and endorse I-2113 without delay or hesitation. Let’s pass it into law so that it can take effect immediately. Law enforcement officers, who support this positive reform, can then return to enforcing the law.”
Initiatives to the Legislature are submitted at the beginning of the regular session in January. The Legislature can adopt the initiative as written by passing it into law. Alternatively, it can choose not to act on the initiative, which will lead to it being placed on the ballot during the next general election. Another possibility is for the Legislature to propose a different bill on the subject, which would lead to having both measures included on the ballot for the voters’ consideration.
Initiative 2113 has gotten the support of more than 400,000 people.
In an interview, Rep. Gina Mosbrucker said, “Our job is to represent the people in the people’s house, and when we don’t have the votes to share what people are telling us they need – and law enforcement is telling us that they want to be able to do their jobs and we’ve tied their hands by not being able to pursue somebody who’s just committed a crime or is a threat to our community—I think it’s amazing and fantastic that the people of Washington state spoke, and it’s our job to listen to them.”
Initiative 2113 has been referred to the Senate Law and Justice Committee for further consideration.
Now is a good time to encourage your legislators to protect public safety. Visit the bill info page for Initiative 2113 and send a comment to your legislators to urge them to pass the initiative into law as soon as possible.
The people have spoken, it’s time for the Legislature to listen.
Nancy Churchill is a writer and activist in rural eastern Washington State, and the state committeewoman for the Ferry County Republican Party. She may be reached at DangerousRhetoric@pm.me. The opinions expressed in Dangerous Rhetoric are her own. Dangerous Rhetoric is available on thinkspot, Rumble and Substack.