Bill > SB5436

This bill establishes new laws in Washington State to protect access to places of worship, defining "aggrieved person" as someone physically present, the religious organization, or the property owner affected by prohibited actions, and clarifying terms like "harass" and "physically obstruct" which means making entry or exit to a place of worship impassable or unreasonably difficult. It makes it unlawful for a person to willfully or recklessly interfere with access to or from a place of worship immediately before, during, or after religious services, or to disrupt services by physically blocking passage, trespassing, making repeated phone calls or electronic communications, or threatening injury to people or property, with violations being a gross misdemeanor. The bill also allows an aggrieved person to seek civil damages, including up to $500 per day for individuals or $1,500 per day for a place of worship, and grants courts the power to issue injunctions to prevent violations, noting that lawful picketing or publicity is not prohibited and that these remedies are in addition to other available legal actions.