On June 6th, Washington’s new Parental Bill of Rights law came into effect, thanks to direct democracy. Over 454,000 citizens signed Initiative 2081, pushing lawmakers to act. The initiative received overwhelming bipartisan support, passing unanimously in the Senate and with an 82 to 15 vote in the House, and gaining support from left-wing legislators like Sen. Jaimie Pedersen and Rep. Tomiko-Santos. Of course, like so many times in the past, Democrats don’t intend on respecting voters for long. As the Washington State Standard reports:

“Sen. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, told the Standard that some Democratic lawmakers were uncomfortable with the initiative, but passing it allows the Legislature to amend the statute next session should issues arise.

“Had the Legislature declined to take action, sending the initiative to the ballot, lawmakers would have to wait two years before they could amend it if it won voter approval.”

Unfortunately, protecting parent rights in public education angers many left-wingers. As the Washington Policy Center reports, Kathleen Taylor, Executive Director of the state chapter of the ACLU, doesn’t think “civil liberties” should extend to parents and has filed a lawsuit to block the new law. South Whidbey School Board members are also opposing parents, using district funds to join as co-plaintiffs. And, as Shift previously reported, Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal is directing school officials to ignore the law. To be clear, the law aims to help families stay engaged and supportive of school children, responding to recent incidents of school officials lying to parents and hiding sensitive information.

ACLU lawyers argued in early June that respecting parental rights would cause irreparable damage, but a King County court defeated their motion on June 4th. A second hearing is set for later this month. For now, on Friday, a King County Superior Court Judge Michael Scott issued a temporary injunction blocking portions of the law that grant parents access to all medical and mental health counseling records of their children and mandate school districts to provide these records within 10 days, which is a shorter timeframe than federal law permits. Read more on the left’s effort to block the law at the Washington Policy Center.

State Democrats passed three resolutions on the Gaza conflict during their convention this weekend. After a mere half-hour debate, Washington State Democrats showcased exactly where they stand—and it’s, apparently, with the most extreme anti-Semitic wing of their party. In a move that surely has Israeli leaders quaking in their boots, they called for an immediate cease-fire and an end to U.S. military aid to Israel. Of course, no one cares – global leaders are not taking notes. But voters across Washington should. State Democrats – once again – proved that their priorities are more about appeasing fringe activists than addressing the issues facing families across our state. Read more at The Seattle Times.

Seattle Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal made national news for her despicable conduct. The congresswomen laughed when asked about Fox News’ coverage of the kidnapping and rape of a 13-year-old girl by an illegal immigrant. Jayapal is for open borders – that much is clear. And she is the epitome of a relentless political ideologue – facts will never breach her leftist dogma. Now we know she also lack basic decency. As KTTH’s Jason Rantz put it,

“When an illegal immigrant commits a crime, ideologues like Jayapal don’t think about helping the victim or their family. She doesn’t even bother to learn their names. Instead, she rushes to MSNBC or CNN to defend illegal immigration, spewing the absurd claim that American citizens commit more crimes than illegal immigrants.

“Not only is her claim false, but it’s also irrelevant.”

Read Rantz’s full take here.

Please consider making a contribution to ensure Shift continues to provide daily updates on the shenanigans of the liberal establishment. If you’d rather mail a check, you can send it to: Shift WA | PO Box 956 | Cle Elum, WA 98922

Forward this to a friend.  It helps us grow our community and serve you better.

You can also follow SHIFTWA on social media by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.

If you feel we missed something that should be covered, email us at [email protected].