Washington Legislature approves requirement for clergy to report child abuse
Washington is poised to require clergy members to report child abuse or neglect, even when it is disclosed in confession.
Nearly two-thirds of state House members approved a Senate bill on Friday night to make religious leaders mandatory reporters of abuse and neglect, adding them to a list that includes school counselors, police, and nurses. With passage of Senate Bill 5375 on a 64-31 vote, the legislation now goes to Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson for signing.
“It’s long past time for this protection for children,” said state Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, the bill’s sponsor, following the vote. “Members of the clergy play such an important role in the lives of children, like teachers and doctors do, and just like those other trusted adults, clergy should be mandatory reporters.”
More than half the states make clergy mandatory reporters, but most exempt what is heard in a confessional. If the Senate bill is signed, Washington would join the handful like New Hampshire and West Virginia where such conversations are not exempt.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/04/12/wa-legislature-approves-requirement-for-clergy-to-report-child-abuse/