Friends,
TOMORROW is the last day for lawmakers in the State House to pass HB 1363, the amending bill to the catastrophic law passed by Democrats in 2021
banning police from pursuing criminals fleeing the scene of a crime.
As
Shift WA reported, the original version of HB 1363 would have allowed police pursuits for any crimes given a reasonable suspicion a crime had been
committed. Unfortunately for families across our state, the rationality behind that was a step too far for many House Democrats.
The current, watered-down version of the bill gives police the authority to pursue someone who
they reasonably suspect of a violent crime, a sexual crime, vehicular assault, escape, DUI, and domestic violence. Notably, vehicular theft
– a crime that has reached unprecedented levels in our state – was not included.
Communities across our state have suffered the high cost of Democrats’ irresponsible 2021 bill. Recently – in
a truly tragic consequence – two foster children, an 8-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy, were killed by a driver who was speeding and
allegedly driving under the influence. A mere hour before the crash, police clocked the speeding driver but could not pursue due to Democrats’
insane law.
Despite the growing number of tragic incidents, many
Democrats are still refusing to amend their law. And mainstream media outlets are refusing to hold them accountable.
David Horsey, the editorial cartoonist for The Seattle Times, criticized the law in a recent
piece. But – tellingly – he stopped short of calling out Democrats in particular. In the cartoon, Horsey refers to the
“Legislature” saying it is not safe to pursue criminals. Of course, that’s not true. It’s not the
“Legislature,” it’s Democrats.
Given the
impending need for action, we here at Shift WA are demanding that House Democrats take three actions before tomorrow.
- Return the current bill to the original copy allowing for the police pursuit of criminals
suspected of car theft and not sunseting after two years – and PASS IT!
- Demand that far-Left State
Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Kirkland) schedule a committee hearing for the bill.
- Secure an agreement that would
ensure the bill is brought to a floor vote in the State Senate.
Innocent people will continue to suffer until Democrats’ irresponsible law is
completely reversed. That means cooperation from Democrat lawmakers.
And that cooperation requires the mainstream media grow a
backbone and call out Democrats. Until then, we here at Shift WA
are doing our part to ensure the public knows what is going on with the police pursuit bill – and
how Democrats are responsible for the
death and destruction of lives that has followed it.
But we need your help. We hope you’ll help us
continue our important work by contributing today! As the
only media outlets reporting news coming out of Olympia from a conservative perspective, our work must go on.
We hope you will help today.
Thank you,
The Shift WA team