Washington legislative leaders preview short session, flag mask and police-camera bills

House Speaker Laurie Jenkins and other legislative leaders used a media availability in Prosser to preview this short session’s early priorities, saying they expect to move the Valdez mask bill out of rules soon and to press companion legislation regulating police-worn cameras.

"We started our floor action last Thursday, moved bills off of the floor, all of them, bipartisan," Jenkins said, describing the opening week as productive and emphasizing lawmakers want both chambers to have a strong exposure to short-session issues.

Leaders signaled enforcement is a live question for the mask bill if federal agencies do not follow state law. One participant described the Senate version as including a private right of action intended to help enforce the statute at the state level. Jenkins and others stressed Washington law enforcement agencies are following state law, and framed the proposed legislation as an effort to provide clarity and avoid what some speakers called police-state tactics.

Speakers raised concerns about recent public communications by local agencies and about private doxxing of federal agents, saying formal legal process and government enforcement should be the avenue for accountability rather than vigilante actions. Jenkins said leaders would condemn doxxing and encouraged reliance on established legal mechanisms.

Leaders also said they expect the Senate companion to the camera bill to be the mover and that members of both chambers have been coordinating to ensure short-session timing allows careful review. Jenkins noted the camera bill and the mask bill are among several measures leaders want both bodies to understand before they move quickly through a compressed calendar.

The media availability closed with leaders urging committee work and hearings to continue this week as floor action ramps up.