Governor signs ‘referee bill’ after nearly 30 years of advocacy by Spokane Valley man

OLYMPIA – Following an assault at a Colville wrestling match nearly 30 years ago, Bob West has spent almost three decades lobbying state lawmakers to stiffen penalties for those who harass officials and umpires.

In some years, he made progress, while the work stalled in other sessions. Some years, he tried different approaches to make the idea more attainable.

But he never gave up.

West’s advocacy hit a crescendo as he stood next to Gov. Bob Ferguson inside the governor’s conference room at the state Capitol on Monday afternoon and watched as Ferguson signed legislation to impose harsher penalties for those who threaten or inflict violence against referees.

“There are consequences,” West told The Spokesman-Review after he left the bill signing. “If a sports official is assaulted, there needs to be some accountability, and that was the primary goal of it.”

West was knocked unconscious in the attack, underwent four neck surgeries, broke a rib, had extended physical therapy and still has memory loss resulting from the assault.

The legislation adds sports officials to a list of school roles for which it is a gross misdemeanor to use threats of force or violence against. Threatening or forcibly interfering with officials can now be punishable by a fine of up to $500 or imprisonment for up to six months, or both.

Previous versions of the legislation would have mandated signage at schools warning attendees of the penalties for assaulting a referee, something West said he will continue to push for in future years.

West said around two dozen states have enacted similar protections for sports officials.

“We want young sports officials to know that we have got their back. We’re losing so many sports officials right now, because of assaults across the United States,” West said Monday.

Students who threaten sports officials would face temporary removal from school and may be barred from their sport or activity. Adults who threaten referees would be banned from the school and sport in question for at least a year and at most a year-and-a-half.

“This will help ensure that referees can stay safe on the job, and remind both students and parents of the importance of sportsman-like conduct,” Ferguson said Monday.

The legislation received near-unanimous support in the Legislature, with the Senate voting 47-0 to approve and the House voting 92-2.

West said it “took a village” to get the bill passed this year and credited two of the bill’s sponsors, Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, and Rep. Sam Low, R-Lake Stevens, among others, for helping get it across the finish line.

“This is going to make the entire community safer. Because when you go to a sporting event, you should not only be safe, you should feel safe,” Lovick said Monday. “This is going to make people feel safe in that event, and I credit this man, and I credit (Rep. Suzanne Schmidt, R-Spokane Valley) for working so hard to get this in front of the governor.”

Following the ceremony, Lovick gifted West the pen Ferguson used to sign the legislation into law, a memento typically given to the prime sponsor by the governor as a sign of gratitude for their work.

During his nearly two decades serving in the state Legislature, Lovick said he could not recall a bill that became law after this many repeated attempts, and praised West for his commitment.

“Not everything gets done the first day, the second day, the first year, the second year,” Lovick said. “But the key to this legislation is that you never gave up. And when you don’t give up, we listen.”

Low said Monday was a “great day for Bob West and his family and a great day for sports officials all across the state of Washington.”

“I’m so happy for Bob; this has been a long time coming,” Low said.