OLYMPIA (WA)
Big Country News [Clarkston WA]
February 1, 2025
By Jerry Cornfield
Two Democratic state lawmakers are trying again to require clergy members in Washington to report child abuse or neglect, including when it is disclosed to them by a congregant during confession.
Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, and Rep. Amy Walen, D-Kirkland, introduced legislation to add clergy to the state’s roster of professions whose members must inform law enforcement if they believe a child has been harmed.
Frame’s Senate Bill 5375 will get its first hearing Tuesday afternoon in the Senate Human Services Committee.
https://www.bigcountrynewsconnection.com/news/state/washington/washington-lawmakers-renew-push-to-make-clergy-report-child-abuse/article_0d392475-daae-5dcd-b255-ac78fe0a3c55.html