(Gateway Pundit) Governor Jay Inslee (D-WA) is expected to sign Substitute Senate Bill 5427, a controversial piece of legislation aimed at combating hate crimes and bias incidents in Washington state.
However, the bill has sparked a heated debate over the potential implications of criminalizing free speech.
The bill, which passed through the Washington state legislature, seeks to create a “bias incident hotline” under the management of the State Attorney General’s Office.
“The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) must oversee hate crimes and bias incidents hotline (hotline) staffed during business hours, dedicated to assisting people who have been targeted or affected by hate crimes and bias incidents. The hotline must: provide appropriate victim-centered, culturally competent, and trauma-informed information and referral; be as accessible to as many residents of Washington as is practical within appropriations, regardless of language proficiency,” the final bill reads.
According to the bill, “Bias incident means a person’s hostile expression of animus toward another person, relating to the other person’s actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, or mental, physical, or sensory disability. A bias incident is deemed to be non-criminal in nature and does not include expressions of support for or opposition to a government’s policies or actions protected under free speech.”
Critics of the bill, such as Rep. Cyndy Jacobsen (R-Puyallup) and Rep. Jim Walsh (R-Aberdeen), argue that the legislation could potentially infringe on free speech rights by policing thought and speech rather than actions. They raise concerns over the subjective nature of determining intent and the consequences of reporting someone for an alleged bias incident.
Liberty Nation reported:
