New WA Religious Affiliation Law Signed By Inslee

WOODINVILLE, WA - Gov. Jay Inslee this week signed a new law that prevents disclosing religious affiliation to the federal government. The law puts new restrictions on information about a person's religious affiliation that can be shared by employers, state government officials, and law enforcement.

The law was sponsored by state Sen. Guy Palumbo, D-Woodinville, and state Rep. Derek Stanford, D-Bothell.

“It is unfortunate that a culture of religious intolerance is brewing in our country. We must not be silent while whole communities are scapegoated due to their religious affiliation,” Stanford in a statement. “This measure will prevent our state from taking part in any federal religious registry, and I was glad to see bipartisan support for this effort to protect religious minorities.”

According to Palumbo and Stanford, the law does the following:

• Prohibits employers from requiring disclosure of an employee's religious affiliation
• Prohibits public agencies and personnel from using agency resources to disclose an individual's religious affiliation to the federal government or to compile information regarding individual religious beliefs, national origin or ethnicity for immigration or law enforcement purposes
• Restricts local and state law enforcement agencies from collecting or using information about an individual's religious affiliation, with limited exceptions
• Exempts personal information about an individual's religious affiliation from disclosure under the state Public Records Act

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