House Bill Aims To Remove George Washington From State Flag

A bill in the Washington House of Representatives is seeking to remove the image of George Washington from the state flag.

House Bill 1938 (HB-1938) calls for the formation of a committee that will oversee the redesigning of the flag to include imagery which is more suitable to the state's "evolving identity".

The measure states that Washington's current standard "often faces criticism for its poor design and lack of relevance to the state's identity", and notes that its depiction of Founding Father and 1st U.S. President George Washington makes the flag "overly complex and difficult to reproduce which is a violation of key flag design principles that prioritize simplicity."

Although HB-1938 makes no specific references to any concerns about the historical implications of Washington being a slave owner in the 18th Century, 12th District Rep. Brian Burnett (R-Wenatchee) believes this might be the motivation behind the Democratic-backed legislation.

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"Was he (Washington) a slave owner? It's likely, because of the day and the times. I don't know, I wasn't there. But I do think he was a leader and from what I understand and the things I have read about him, he was a very good man."

The bill refers to Washington as an "important national figure" but goes on to say he has a "limited historical connection to the state itself", making his image on its flag "less meaningful as a symbol for the state".

Burnett says he thinks the flag is just fine the way it is and believes the state has much bigger issues to worry about than assembling a committee to spend valuable time and money on its redesign.

"We have the third-highest crime rate in the nation. We have the third-highest cost of gas, the third-highest homeless population, and the fourth-most expensive housing. So this is what we need to be spending our time on? Are you kidding me?"

Additional language in the measure refers to the state's current flag as an aesthetic failure which is widely regarded as outdated, lacking in distinctiveness, and absent of capturing the unique character of the state.

Washington's current flag design was adopted in 1923, following a 34-year period when the state was without an official standard after its addition to the union in 1889.

It was designed by the Washington chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, who began working on it in 1914.

HB-1938 was introduced by 21st District Rep. Strom Peterson (D-Edmonds) and has only two other sponsors, both of whom are Democrats.

The bill had its first reading in the House on Feb. 11 and is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations on Feb. 18.