EXCLUSIVE: GOP lawmakers say Christian, Jewish holy days should be recognized after Islamic holidays added to Washington state official calendar

Washington Republicans have introduced new legislation that would add a slate of Christian and Jewish holy days to the state’s list of “legislatively recognized” observances, months after Washington enacted a law recognizing the Muslim holidays Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha on the eve of Passover and Easter, without recognizing those holidays.

On April 9, 2025, Gov. Bob Ferguson signed Senate Bill 5106, which added Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha to Washington’s list of state-recognized observances, on the event of Passover and Easter, without recognizing the Jewish and Christian holidays. The governor’s office described the move as making Washington the first state to officially recognize the two Eid holidays, while emphasizing the change does not create new paid holidays, it places Eid on the same “recognized” list as observances such as Lunar New Year.

The newly introduced Republican measure, House Bill 2166, would add Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Hanukkah, Passover, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur to the state’s list of recognized observances, and also explicitly recognize Christmas Eve (while Christmas Day is already a paid legal holiday under state law).

The bill language frames these additions as recognition rather than the creation of additional paid time off, mirroring how Eid was handled under SB 5106. HB 2166 is sponsored by Republican Reps. Matt Marshall, Travis Abell, Chris Corry, Brian Burnett, Michael Keaton, Rep. Mary Dye, Josh Penner, Skyler Rude, Cyndy Jacobsen, Rob Chase, and Jim Walsh, who also serves as the chair of the Washington State GOP. The bill was prefiled on December 17, 2025, ahead of the start of the 2026 legislative session.

A spokesperson for Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, SB 5106’s sponsor, previously told the Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI in a statement when asked why the Jewish holidays were not recognized, that it would be “presumptuous” for her to prime-sponsor Jewish-holiday recognition legislation because she isn’t Jewish, but that she would be open to co-sponsoring and voting for such a bill.

HB 2166 will now move through the legislative process during the Washington State Legislature’s 2026 regular session, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, January 12, 2026, and will run through March 12.