The measure adds two new sections to chapter 28A.320 RCW. One new section prohibits school districts from censoring or otherwise restricting instruction in United States or Washington state history or heritage when the restriction is based on religious references in “original source documents, writings, speeches, proclamations, or records.” The text lists thirteen specific items protected from being the basis for such censorship, including the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. and Washington Constitutions, the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, the Federalist Papers, the Pledge of Allegiance, the national anthem, George Washington’s farewell address, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, presidential proclamations, Patrick Henry’s speeches, and preambles and constitutions of other states. The second new section provides a short title, naming the act the “American heritage act for Washington state.” This is a new statutory limitation on school districts’ authority over instruction in specified historical materials; it is a procedural/subject-matter restriction rather than the creation of a new crime or an express change to penalties. The extracted text does not include any enforcement mechanisms, penalties, or procedures for oversight or compliance. Important terms and scope are not defined in the provided text. The phrase “original source documents, writings, speeches, proclamations, or records” is not further defined, and the measure does not specify what is meant by “censor or restrict,” what types or grades of schools are covered, whether nonpublic schools are included, who would enforce the prohibition, or any effective or implementation date. The placement of the short title provision within the statutes is also not specified in the extracted facts.

If enacted, school districts would no longer be allowed to remove or limit teaching about United States or Washington state history or heritage on the ground that the original source materials contain religious references; the bill specifically protects 13 named items such as the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. and Washington constitutions, the Federalist Papers, the Pledge of Allegiance, the national anthem, Washington’s farewell address, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, certain presidential proclamations, and Patrick Henry’s speeches. That means teachers and curriculum planners would be required to permit use of those documents in instruction even when they include religious language. The people most affected are school districts and educators, who would gain a new constraint on censoring or restricting those specific materials; the change does not itself create new funding but does create a new compliance responsibility. Important details are missing from the bill text provided—terms like “censor or restrict,” “instruction,” which schools or grades are covered, how compliance would be enforced, and any effective date—so districts may face uncertainty and possible uneven local decisions or legal questions until those gaps are clarified.