Looks like in Washington, 13-year-olds are calling the shots—and parents are just along for the ride!

For Democrats, 13-Year-Olds Can Make Life Decisions and Parents Get the Boot!

Washington Democrats have sparked national and international outrage with their attempts to strip parental rights in schools. Washington State Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen (D) made headlines with his jaw-dropping comments to Fox News, stating:

“Kids over 13 have the right to make their own decisions about their mental health care. Parents don’t have the right to have notice, they don’t have the right to have consent about that.”

He also added:

“If they’re old enough to get pregnant, they’re old enough to make their own decisions about what happens with their bodies, and parents do not have the right to change that.”

This is the direction many Democrats are pushing—eroding parental authority while granting children rights that should remain under parental guidance. See his remarks here.

HB 1123: A Bill to 'Ensure Access' to Healthcare—By Making Everything More Expensive

HB 1123, which recently cleared the House Appropriations Committee, is being sold as a way to “ensure access” to healthcare, but it’s more like a recipe for disaster. The bill attempts to reduce state-paid reimbursements to hospitals and providers, but guess who’s going to pay the price? The rest of us, of course. As the Washington Policy Center points out, with hospitals already facing negative margins and cutting services, this bill just adds fuel to the fire—especially for rural areas. The state’s plan to reduce reimbursements for state employees starting in 2027 could send costs skyrocketing for commercial payers, meaning rising insurance premiums for all. Democrat Rep. Nicole Macri, who sponsored the bill, seemed to think hospitals should trim overhead costs—maybe by passing them onto private payers instead? Meanwhile, hospitals are already losing millions, and this bill just digs the hole deeper. GOP Rep. Joe Schmick raised the obvious concern: if hospitals are losing hundreds of millions, how are they supposed to make up the difference? Spoiler: They won’t, and we’ll all pay for it. Read more at the Washington Policy Center.

Democrats Push to Add More Protected Classes in Washington Schools

In yet another move to complicate things for Washington state’s public schools, Democrats have pushed through Senate Bill 5123, which would add gender identity, illegal immigrants, and more to the ever-growing list of protected classes. Sponsored by Sen. T’wina Nobles, the bill claims to “extend protections” to vulnerable groups, but some Republicans, like Sen. Paul Harris, aren’t buying it, pointing out that if a bill causes this much confusion, it’s either a mess or nobody understands it (probably both). As the Democrats celebrate this monumental extension of rights, they conveniently ignore the fact that academic performance is already in free fall, but hey, let’s focus on the real  issues, like redefining “identity” every decade. Nobles insists this is all about creating “safe and inclusive environments”—you know, because the current ones aren’t safe enough. Read more at Center Square.

Chris Reykdal’s New Goal: Turning Women’s Sports Into a Playground for Political Pandering

Chris Reykdal, Washington’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, has made it clear that his priority isn’t test scores, academic success, or fairness in girls’ sports—it’s ideological grandstanding. He’s fighting to overturn Trump’s ban on biological males competing in women’s sports, dismissing concerns about fairness as mere “discrimination.” Female athletes who’ve trained their entire lives? Too bad—they’re collateral damage in Reykdal’s crusade for “inclusion,” even if it means stripping them of their hard-earned opportunities. Meanwhile, as KTTH’s Jason Rantz points out, he conveniently ignores the fact that Title IX was meant to protect women, not redefine them out of their own sports. But hey, if states like Washington want to defy federal law, maybe they should be prepared to give up their federal funding too. Read more at KTTH.

Republican Pushes to Keep Women’s Sports, Well, For Women—Democrats Miss the Point

Republican Rep. Mike Volz has introduced House Bill 1699, the “Defending Equity in Interscholastic Sports Act,” because, apparently, the idea of biologically male athletes competing in women’s sports is a new and confusing concept for some. Volz’s bill would allow school boards to bar biological males from competing in women’s sports—a reasonable stance when you remember the whole separate teams for a reason  thing. Meanwhile, Democrats like Superintendent Chris Reykdal are more concerned with the virtue-signaling aspect, insisting that Washington’s laws against gender identity discrimination should trump fairness in sports. Trump’s executive order banning male athletes from women’s competitions only adds fuel to the fire, with Volz supporting it, saying it’s about time to protect “women and their spaces” in sports. Of course, the Democrats are silent on the issue—likely too busy thinking up their next convoluted excuse to let biology take a backseat. Read more at Center Square.

Washington State Considers Ending California’s Grip on Its Car Rules—Because Unelected Bureaucrats Don’t Know Best

A recent op-ed in Center Square points out the value in Washington Rep. Andrew Barkis’ introduction of House Bill 1117, which would end the state’s blind loyalty to California’s auto emissions standards via the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The bill’s intent? To help people register their cars and save them from California’s overbearing regulations while keeping revenue flowing into the state. Meanwhile, CARB’s push for zero-emission trucks is about to turn the RV market into a ghost town, with some manufacturers already pulling out. The bottom line: while supporters argue that CARB will cut emissions, the reality is the real risk of slashing transportation funding at a time when the state’s budget is already bleeding. It’s a classic case of putting ideology over practicality—because why wouldn’t Washington want to run its own show? Read more at Center Square.

Must-Listen Podcasts: Travis Couture on Budget Battles & Skyler Rude on Education Reforms

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