Natural News reports that the Washington state legislature has recently approved a bill that establishes a statewide system for residents to report their neighbors for “wrongspeak.”
The controversial Senate Bill 5427, which has been passed by both the Senate and the House and is now awaiting Governor Jay Inslee’s approval, permits private individuals, including non-citizens and illegal immigrants, to report “bias incidents” to the state attorney general’s office. Each reported incident could potentially earn the reporter a reward of $2,000.
Supporters of SB 5427 argue that its primary aim is to protect potential victims of hate crimes before they occur. However, critics contend that it essentially sets up a tattletale hotline, designed to discourage Washington residents from freely expressing their views, particularly if those views are politically incorrect.
According to critics, SB 5427 is unconstitutional for at least five reasons:
- It infringes on an individual’s right to confront his accuser
- It restricts freedom of speech
- It violates freedom of thought, an implied right in the First Amendment
- It undermines freedom of religion
- It impairs freedom of the press
An independent media outlet described SB 5427 as creating an environment where “people will stop talking to others and writing to others except very close friends and relatives for fear a greedy ‘Karen’ will report them to Washington’s version of the Gestapo.”
Washington, often seen as a state that champions “bodily rights” (abortion) and other do-whatever-we-want beliefs, seems to be taking a different stance with SB 5427. Critics argue that this bill could potentially muzzle Washingtonians who express unpopular viewpoints.
In a public testimony before the Senate Ways and Means Committee on February 20, Julie Barrett, Founder and President of Conservative Ladies of Washington, criticized the bill for completely overriding the United States Constitution.
“Spend five minutes on Twitter on any given day and I assure someone would say something offensive under this law that we could call a ‘hate crime’ and collect $2,000 from the attorney general,” Barrett said.
SB 5427 specifically mentions “an expression of animus” as one of the offending actions that warrants a call to the state government. Critics question what exactly this means and how it could potentially lead to individuals being targeted for actions they don’t like but are not actually hate crimes.
The bill’s $2,000-per-report offering has been defended by some supporters who argue that the money is not a reward but rather compensation for “damages” incurred. However, critics remain skeptical about what these damages might be.
Imagine being questioned by a police officer about an alleged “bias incident” you committed. The statute prohibits him from telling you who reported you or answering any questions you might have. All you know is that you said something “wrong” and must now pay a price with no way to defend yourself.
Your name remains on the state’s “Bias Incident List” forever, and can be added to if you commit more “expressions of animus” that warrant additional reports. Critics question whether Washington is still a good place to live under such conditions.
“Hopefully voters in the state of Washington turn over the government,” one commenter said about the bill. “Either that or chunks of the state could end up merging into Idaho.”