Democratic Lawmakers Introduce Legislation To Create New State Flag

Democratic state lawmakers in Washington proposed legislation that would create a committee to design a new state flag.

The current Washington state flag features the state seal and displays an image of its namesake, George Washington.

Washington legislature introduce bill to redesign state flag https://t.co/mDwqjdE1Q0

— KIRO 7 (@KIRO7Seattle) February 16, 2025

The Olympian reports:

The bill text says that the current flag often gets criticized for its “poor design and lack of relevance to the state’s identity,” and that it’s too complex and hard to reproduce because it features a detailed portrait of the first president.

“Additionally, while George Washington is an important national figure, he has limited historical connection to the state itself,” the bill text continues. “This makes his image less meaningful as a symbol for the state.”

The proposed measure is sponsored by Democratic state Reps. Strom Peterson of Edmonds, Julia Reed of Seattle and Greg Nance of Kitsap.

The bill also contends that the flag has other shortcomings, including that it uses too many colors. The seal with words on a green background is widely viewed as an “outdated and uninspired approach to flag design,” which should instead prioritize simplicity, according to the bill.

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Voters would ultimately need to approve the revamped design in a referendum.

But not everyone loves the idea.

WATCH:

House Republican Floor Leader April Connors, R-Kennewick, previews bills for week six of the legislative session:

HB 1938 would remove George Washington from the state flag.

HB 1285, sponsored by Rep. Skyler Rude, would make financial education instruction a graduation… pic.twitter.com/6YHw3gPvoh

— WA House Republicans (@WaHouseGOP) February 17, 2025

Washington Democrats introduce legislation to remove George Washington from state flag https://t.co/bsijqXMirt

— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 18, 2025

Per Fox News:

The bill would establish a committee to develop a new design for the official state flag that reflects Washington’s “shared history, resources and diverse cultural communities.”

The committee would be comprised of representatives from the Washington State Arts Commission, legislators from the House and Senate, the secretary of state, a historian, designers, cultural leaders, tribal representatives, and citizen representatives from different regions of the state, appointed by the governor.

The committee would then solicit public feedback through outreach to schools, community organizations, tribes, public forums, virtual discussions and online surveys before approving a new design by July 1, 2028.

Voters must approve the new flag design in the next general election before it can be adopted as the new state flag.

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Democratic State Representatives Strom Peterson, Julia Reed and Greg Nance introduced the bill on February 11.

It is scheduled for a public hearing in Olympia before the House Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations on February 18, Fox28 Spokane reported.

WATCH:

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

View the original article here.