Washington lawmakers consider bill to prevent abuse in youth sports

A bill before Washington state lawmakers aims to prevent abuse in youth sports by making coaches mandatory reporters of abuse and requiring them to receive annual training on the law.

House Bill 1803 would also require the creation a code of conduct for coaches, parents, spectators, and athletes to make boundaries clear and enforceable. All adults involved would be required to report violations of the code.

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Rep. Alicia Rule, D-Blaine, who co-sponsored the bill, said as a parent and social worker, she considers sports a protective factor for kids — so long as adults keep them safe.

“We just want to make sure that everybody's clear about the definition of exactly what abuse is and how it sneaks in when we might have missed it, and the way we do that is through education and accountability. And this bill covers both," Rule said.

The bill now awaits a reading in the House Early Learning & Human Services Committee.

If passed by the Legislature and signed into law, it would go into effect in July 2026.