No hearings planned for Let’s Go Washington initiatives
Jan 9, 2026, 3:39 PM
The Washington State Capitol. (Photo: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest)
(Photo: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest)
The Washington State Legislature does not plan to hold hearings this session on two initiatives that would impact schools and families.
The House Speaker and Senate Majority Leader, both Democrats, expressed that Friday.
The initiatives are backed by the Political Action Committee Let’s Go Washington, which was founded by Brian Haywood.
“I find it sort of irresponsible,” Haywood said, pointing out that each initiative received more than 400,000 signatures in support.
One initiative would restore parts of a parental rights bill (IL26-001) that his group proposed, and that lawmakers passed with changes in 2024. The second (IL26-638) would essentially ban transgender athletes from competing in girls’ sports.
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Legislative leaders could change their minds
He said it’s possible legislative leaders will change their minds.
“This happened to us two years ago,” Haywood said. “In 2024, we gave them six initiatives, and they said, ‘Oh, we’re not going to touch those. We’re not going to look at them.’ And then what they did was some internal polling that made them change their mind. They passed three of them in the legislative session.”
And it’s not the end of the road if the legislature decides not to act.
“If they don’t look at it at all, it automatically goes on the ballot next November, and everybody will have a chance to vote on it then,” Haywood explained, provided enough of the signatures are valid.
In the meantime, he hopes public pressure will either prompt lawmakers to ultimately take up the initiatives or encourage voters to replace members of the legislature, which has had a continuous Democratic majority in both the House and Senate since 2018, and a strong Democratic presence in the years before.
“If you get 40 years of majority rule, it doesn’t matter whether it’s Democrat or Republican, you start getting arrogance in power that doesn’t listen to people,” Haywood claimed.
KIRO Newsradio has reached out to House Speaker Laurie Jinkins and Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen for comment.
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