Does WA need a new state flag? Proposed bill would create a state flag redesign committee

The Washington state flag could be getting a makeover if a bill held for a hearing on Tuesday becomes law.

House Bill 1938 would launch a state flag redesign committee to oversee the process of devising a new look for the iconic flag. The House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee held a public hearing on the bill at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in Hearing Room E of the John L. O’Brien Building on the Capitol Campus.

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 The seal with words on a green background is widely viewed as an “outdated and uninspired approach to flag design,” which should instead prioritize simplicity, according to the bill.

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

But not everyone loves the idea.

“The Democrats have a bill … that would cancel George Washington off of our state flag,” state Rep. April Connors, a Kennewick Republican, said in a video posted Feb. 16 to X (formerly Twitter).

State Rep. Hunter Abell, an Inchelium Republican, issued a statement on Monday blasting the bill. Abell is instead proposing legislation that would rename Presidents Day to “George Washington’s Birthday, as it was originally known.”

Abell called Washington an American hero and said that attacking him is “un-American.”

“So many schools, streets, counties, institutions, military bases, roads and bridges are named after our first Founding Father,” Abell said in a Feb. 17 news release. “To be the only state in the nation to be named after a president is a distinct honor. One that we should not take for granted and we certainly should not be ashamed of or attempt to eliminate him from our flag.”

If House Bill 1938 becomes law, the redesign committee would oversee the process of creating a new flag that more closely aligns with the values and diversity of all Washingtonians, according to the bill text. The design would be adopted by July 1, 2028. Then voters would get to approve or reject the modernized look at the next general election.

After its public hearing on Tuesday afternoon, HB 1938 is scheduled for a vote at the same time the following day.