Rep. Walsh breaks down Washington's new Parent's Bill of Rights

[Music] hi state representative Jim Walsh here in the gallery above the floor of the House of Representatives in Olympia frankly it was a little rainy out today so we're recording this update inside the Capitol Building what I'd like to talk with you about today is one of the major policy achievements policy wins that we had as a legisl in the short session that just ended a few weeks ago and that was the passage of initiative 2081 the Washington parents Bill of Rights now in some circles this was a controversial reform but really in the end it passed the legislature in a very broad bipartisan vote almost unanimous very strong support for it through the legislature and really the focus of the Washington parents Bill of Rights and there are about 15 elements to it but the focus of all of them is on information it says that custodial parents or grandparents or Guardians custodial parents and Guardians cannot be kept in the dark about what their minor children are going through in their lives that parents have to be told whether it's things happening at school or things happening in the health care or mental health care space connected with school or really anything affecting a minor child parents have to be notified they have to be told now the parents Bill of Rights doesn't change some elements of our state law the so-called mature minor Doctrine which allows minor children to receive certain kinds of health care or mental health care without the permission of their parents that's another issue which we'll address separately policy the parents Bill of Rights just focuses on keeping parents informed it says that teachers or School administrators or health care providers or Health Care administrators can't hide essential information about kids about minors from their parents and families importantly it states in state law the RCW the revised code of Washington that parents are the primary stakeholders in the upbringing of their minor children this is an important thing for our state law to ackowledge because when certain kinds of lawsuits or other proposals come along that undermine the parents ability to know what's going on with their children the law will now protect that parent right to know so initiative 2081 the parents Bill of Rights was an essential win for healthy and happy families healthy and happy parents and most importantly healthy and happy children in the state of Washington because I believe strongly and strong majorities of my colleagues in the legislature agreed that keeping parents and children close together is best for families and for kids this was an important bipartisan policy win in the legislative session that just ended recently and going forward I'm always looking for more opportunities to do right by the people of Washington in a way that all of us here at the capital can agree it was a great win in the recent session and there's more of that to come that's it for now in the meantime be well stay strong and I'll talk to you again soon [Music]