Governor Ferguson Signs HB 2632, Modernizing Language In Washington State Law (Photo) - 03/14/26

Olympia, WA – Governor Bob Ferguson signed House Bill 2632 into law, updating outdated terminology in Washington State statutes and directing state and local entities to replace references to the term “alien” with “noncitizen” or other context-appropriate language, except where federal law requires otherwise.

With the signing of this law, Washington state became the fourth state in the nation to remove the use of the word “alien” from its laws when referring to individuals. HB 2632 represents a collaborative effort among legislators, legal practitioners, and community advocates to ensure Washington’s statutory language remains clear, accurate, and consistent with contemporary legal standards.

Joining Oregon and California as the only other states to make this change across all statutes and documents, this modernization of terminology has been a priority of Representative My-Linh Thai since becoming the first refugee elected to the Washington State House of Representatives in 2019. The outdated term was once again raised this session, brought forward by the Undocumented Communities Committee, a body focused on equitable access to legal aid in support of the Washington State Supreme Court-appointed Access to Justice Board. 

"As a refugee to this country, I know what it feels like to be labeled as ‘other’. The term 'alien' is outdated, dehumanizing, and does not reflect how we speak about people today,” said Rep. My-Linh Thai, the bill’s prime sponsor. Thai added, ” Our laws should reflect who we are as a state. Washington stands for fairness, dignity and equal protection under the law and this bill is part of that ongoing work.”

Supporters included the Washington State Access to Justice Board, the Association of Washington Assistant Attorneys General (WFSE Local 5297), the Washington State Pro Bono Council, NAACP Vancouver and numerous legal experts.

In an update to the law which revised “oriental” to “alien” in 2001, the fight for this bill’s passage a quarter of a century later has been chillingly similar. Opposition asserted this terminology modernization was made to quell hurt feelings at the expense of legal clarity. 

“The term ‘alien’ does not refer to any specific immigration status,” said Elizabeth Fitzgearld, co-chair of the Undocumented Communities Committee. “When it carries legal meaning, it is always accompanied by a modifier, ‘alien offender,’ ‘legal resident alien,’ ‘nonimmigrant alien.’ This bill replaces a word that is, at best, an ambiguous synonym requiring constant context and, at worst, dehumanizing to Washingtonians without U.S. citizenship with its plain, objective equivalent: noncitizen.”

Fellow co-chair Nicholas Mejía agreed, noting that the bill preserves existing statutory structure while meaningfully improving clarity. “‘Noncitizen’ is not less precise than ‘alien’, it is more precise. It states exactly what the statute intends to describe, without implication, without metaphor, and without requiring interpretation. From a governance standpoint, this is careful, restrained lawmaking.”

The legislation takes effect June 11, 2026, requiring state and local statutes and official documents enacted after that date to use updated terminology where appropriate, while preserving language required under federal law. It also provides state agencies with an expedited rulemaking process to update existing statutes and documents if the proposed rule only substitutes the term alien with the term noncitizen or other context-appropriate term but does not change the effect of the rule.