Washington state lawmakers consider police pursuit and parents’ rights initiatives

SEATTLE (AP) — Two conservative-backed initiatives that would give police greater ability to pursue people in vehicles and declare a series of rights for parents of public-school students were considered by Washington state lawmakers Wednesday in back-to-back hearings that occasionally became heated.

These initiatives are just two of six certified after a conservative group submitted hundreds of thousands of signatures in support of them. The Legislature has considered three this week, while initiatives to overturn the state’s landmark carbon pricing program and tax on the sale of stocks and bonds will likely head straight to voters.

The police pursuit initiative would mean law enforcement officers would no longer need reasonable suspicion that a person inside a vehicle has committed certain specific crimes, such as a violent offense, sex offense or domestic violence assault, to initiate pursuit. Instead, it broadens the requirement, saying reasonable suspicion that “a person has violated the law” would be enough.

“We are at a critical point in this state’s history and the public safety of the people of this state,” Republican Rep. Jim Walsh, who filed both initiatives heard Wednesday with the secretary of state, said during the hearing. “Initiative 2113 takes a very narrow touch to do the one thing, the single action we can take, to most effectively fight crime in Washington state.”

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> McConnell will step down as the Senate Republican