Overview
- Senate Bill 5855, sponsored by Sen. Javier Valdez, would bar law enforcement and immigration officers from concealing their faces during public interactions, with narrow exceptions for health risks, hazardous scenes, SWAT operations or undercover work.
- Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office urged passage, and transparency advocates argued the bill would help communities clearly identify who is exercising government power.
- Department of Justice representative Pete Serrano said the measure cannot be enforced against federal agents under the Supremacy Clause and warned it could endanger officers and their families.
- Testimony cited Department of Homeland Security data showing steep increases in assaults, vehicular attacks, doxing, and death threats targeting ICE personnel over the past year.
- Police and city associations opposed the bill over potential lawsuits and costs, and lawmakers noted it mirrors a California statute now paused in court as a judge considers a DOJ request to block it; the Senate Law & Justice Committee plans further discussion this week.