Washington limits armed forces from entering the state without governor's OK

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Washington Governor Bob Ferguson (D) signed a bill on Monday restricting out-of-state military forces from entering the state without the governor's approval.

House Bill 1321 requires National Guard troops to have permission from the governor, or must be called into service by the president, before they can enter the state, officials explained, noting similar laws exist in other states including Idaho, Texas and Montana.

“We welcome collaboration with National Guard forces when warranted, but only with our permission,” Governor Ferguson said during Monday's bill signing. “We cannot have armed forces come into our state to enforce policies that are against our core values. I appreciated Rep. Mena’s leadership in bringing this important legislation to my desk.”

According to the governor's office, this law does not restrict the National Guard from supporting disaster response efforts in mutual-aid agreements.

The National Guard is under command of each state or territory’s governor, Ferguson’s office explained, noting the National Guard can be deployed in domestic emergencies and can also be deployed by the president for federal missions.

“This law ensures that Washington — not other states — decides what happens in our communities,” said Washington Rep. Sharlett Mena (D-Tacoma), chief sponsor of the bill. “It protects us from unauthorized and unaccountable military actions.”

In a late January hearing introducing the bill in the House State Government & Tribal Relations Committee, Mena explained, "As you know, the political winds change often in the other Washington from immigration enforcement to climate targets. We are experiencing dramatic shifts in policy from one administration to the next -- creating serious uncertainty for the people of Washington."

“To be perfectly clear, the federal government has preemption over states in many respects and will continue to do so. This bill is about preventing other states from sending their own militias into Washington for the purposes of enforcing federal laws or taking matters into their own hands," Mena added.

“Without this bill,” Mena warned, “there’s nothing on the books to prevent this.”

KOIN 6 News reached out to Republican members of Washington's legislature who did not recommend the bill's passage. This story will be updated if we receive a response.