CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
SENATE BILL 5615
Chapter 188, Laws of 2022
67TH LEGISLATURE
2022 REGULAR SESSION
STATE SPORT—PICKLEBALL
EFFECTIVE DATE: June 9, 2022
Passed by the Senate February 2, 2022 Yeas 46 Nays 1 DENNY HECK
President of the Senate Passed by the House March 4, 2022 Yeas 83 Nays 15 LAURIE JINKINS
Speaker of the House of Representatives | CERTIFICATE I, Sarah Bannister, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SENATE BILL 5615 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth. SARAH BANNISTER
Secretary Secretary |
Approved March 28, 2022 3:34 PM | FILED March 29, 2022 |
JAY INSLEE
Governor of the State of Washington | Secretary of State State of Washington |
SENATE BILL 5615
Passed Legislature - 2022 Regular Session
State of Washington | 67th Legislature | 2022 Regular Session |
BySenators Lovick, Hunt, Hasegawa, Honeyford, Lovelett, Nobles, Pedersen, Randall, Rolfes, and Wellman
Prefiled 12/29/21.Read first time 01/10/22.Referred to Committee on State Government & Elections.
AN ACT Relating to designating pickleball as the official state sport; adding a new section to chapter
1.20 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature recognizes that the sport of pickleball was created in 1965 on Bainbridge Island by Joel McFee Pritchard, who went on to be elected lieutenant governor and member of Congress for Washington, along with two of his friends, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum. These men created the game at Pritchard's summer cabin after they "persuaded" their abnormally hyper children to go outside to play a few games of badminton, but there was no badminton equipment to be found. Instead, these fathers did some brainstorming and created a new game using ping-pong paddles, a net, and a neighbor's plastic wiffle ball. The rules that they created for the new game, which they named pickleball, are still used today by the USA Pickleball Association.
The legislature finds that pickleball is a game that can be played by anyone, one-on-one, or as a team, and has expanded far beyond Washington to become a nationally and internationally beloved game; over four million people play pickleball in the United States and there are currently 67 member countries in the International Federation of Pickleball. Soon pickleball will even be televised by Fox Sports. The legislature intends to honor and recognize the Washingtonians who created, popularized, and continue to enjoy this sport by designating pickleball the official sport of the state of Washington.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter
1.20 RCW to read as follows:
The sport of pickleball is hereby designated as the official sport of the state of Washington.
Passed by the Senate February 2, 2022.
Passed by the House March 4, 2022.
Approved by the Governor March 28, 2022.
Filed in Office of Secretary of State March 29, 2022.
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