‘Sickening’: Democrats invoke new rule to cut debate on Parents’ Bill of Rights amendment, passing House

Washington Democrats used a controversial new rule to stop the debate on a bill seeking to amend the Parents’ Bill of Rights.

Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5181 (ESSB 5181) passed the House Monday. The bill seeks to amend Initiative 2081 (I-2081), also known as the Parents’ Bill of Rights, to be in line with federal law.

However, the bill passing wasn’t the only uproar from Republicans. According to a news release from House Republicans, House Democrats used a new rule to “silence Republicans.”

As explained in the release, earlier in the 2025 legislative session, House Democrats voted to reduce the super-majority two-thirds threshold previously required to end debate and advance a bill or amendment to a simple majority.

“We knew this day might come, but to see it unfold during the Parental Rights initiative, backed by nearly half a million voters, is a disgrace,” Republican Deputy Minority Leader Rep. Chris Corry (R-Yakima) said via the news release.

Corry added that the move signaled a troubling shift in how debates are handled on the House floor.

“They shut down debate twice in under two hours,” he said. “Frankly, it’s sickening. We have nearly two weeks left in session. What other debates will they end?”

What is Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5181?

If ESSB 5181 becomes law, it will remove prior requirements for parental notification of medical services provided to students. It will also modify notification timelines for criminal actions involving students, ensuring notice within 48 hours instead of immediately.

Supporter Democratic Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen argued the bill clarifies ambiguities and protects student privacy, particularly for LGBTQ+ students and victims of abuse.

“So this bill would eliminate some of the inconsistent language that has now caused confusion among school districts about what the law is on notification and whether those students still have the right to make those decisions on their own,” he said earlier this year.

Having passed the Senate and the House, ESSB 5181 will now go to conference, where members from the House and Senate will try to come to an agreement on the bill.

Another bill passes to amend ‘Parents’ Bill of Rights’

House Bill 1296 (HB 1296) also passed Monday, but in the Senate, to change the Parents’ Bill of Rights.

Democrats argue HB 1296 creates and installs important safeguards for students while providing greater clarity to the already-existing law. However, Republicans argued this guts and rewrites the voter-backed initiative that was passed into law last year, taking control away from parents and local school districts.

HB 1296 also passed in the House of Representatives, but because the Senate altered the bill, it will go back to the House before it can reach the governor’s desk.

Follow Julia Dallas on X. Read her stories here. Submit news tips here.

Contributing: Matt Markovich, KIRO Newsradio and Frank Sumrall, MyNorthwest