Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a bill into law Monday that prohibits other states, territories or districts from sending their National Guard troops to Washington state without approval from the governor.
The bill contains an emergency clause, which means it went into effect immediately after the governor penned his signature.
"We just cannot allow as a state to have armed forces come into our home and enforce policies that are against our core values," Ferguson said before signing the bill. "State autonomy is the foundation of our federalist system — this bill is a simple, but very important expression, of that system."
Ferguson noted that Washington still welcomes collaboration with National Guard forces from other states, but only with the state's permission, and added the new law does not restrict the National Guard from supporting disaster response or recovery efforts via mutual aid agreements.
The new law does not preclude the authority of the president of the U.S. to call military units into active service in Washington.
Rep. Sharlett Mena, D-Tacoma, said she sponsored House Bill 1321 to protect immigrant communities in Washington, and that without the legislation, there would be nothing in state law to prevent National Guard troops from other states from entering.
Washington joins several other states, such as Montana, Idaho, Kansas and Texas, that have similar laws.
No Republicans voted in favor of the bill in either the House or Senate during debates, despite similar bills in red states that have the support of Republican lawmakers.
The bill was one of several mentioned during Ferguson's inaugural address that he said he looked forward to signing. In the coming weeks, he'll continue to sign bills that have passed the Legislature this session, which adjourns Sunday.
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