OLYMPIA, Wash. – A bill requiring all public school athletic venues to have signage reminding people that assaulting referees is a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and up to a $500 fine, did not get to the Senate floor after passing the House 97-0.
“I started talking with people and referees, and not one person said they did not experience some sort of attack,” bill co-sponsor Rep. Suzanne Schmidt (R – WA) said.
Originally the bill featured two new punishments for those who assault an official: a Class C Felony and up to 12 months of not being allowed back at school. Schmidt said neither of those measures had the support to pass.
“I’m just gonna say it, the Democratic party does not want to see anybody charged with a felony,” she said.
After passing the House, the bill went to the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee. However, the bill was never selected to go to a hearing by Chair Lisa Wellman (D – WA). We reached out to Wellman to ask why the bill was not brought forward, but she did not respond to our request.
Schmidt was urged to fight for the legislation by former wrestling referee Bob West, who was knocked unconscious by a Colville wrestler headbutting him in 1996. West, who’s been advocating for referee safety for the better part of the last three decades, isn’t giving up.
“We’re just gonna keep working at it,” he said. “The bill, it’s not if it’s gonna pass, it’s when.”
