HB 1531: Washington State’s Chiropractic Profession Silent Amid Extreme Public Health Bill
Originally published: 2025-04-17
In April 2025, Washington State’s House Bill 1531 (HB 1531) passed both the House and Senate, landing on Governor Bob Ferguson’s desk for a final decision. This controversial legislation, titled “Preserving the ability of public officials to address communicable diseases,” grants significant authority to unelected public health officials to implement measures like vaccinations, testing, and other interventions based on the “best available science.” Critics argue it risks eroding personal freedoms by potentially overriding religious, medical, and philosophical exemptions, making it one of the most aggressive public health laws in the United States.
Silence from Chiropractic Leaders
Despite its far-reaching implications for healthcare providers and patients, the chiropractic profession in Washington State—including the Washington State Chiropractic Association (WSCA), the Chiropractic Quality Assurance Commission (CQAC), and the newly established Washington Chiropractic College—has remained conspicuously silent. This lack of outcry echoes the profession’s troubling compliance with unscientific and unlawful mandates during the COVID-19 era, raising questions about leadership, accountability, and the failure to challenge measures now widely debunked, such as mask mandates.
HB 1531: A Power Grab with Broad Implications
HB 1531, sponsored by Representative Dan Bronoske (D-Lakewood), passed the House on March 8, 2025 (58-35) and the Senate on April 10, 2025 (31-18), along party lines. It aims to standardize public health responses to communicable diseases, empowering officials to act swiftly based on “scientific evidence”. The bill’s emergency clause, which makes it effective immediately upon signing and exempt from referendum, has fueled accusations of government overreach. Critics, including the Washington House Republicans, warn it could enable forced vaccinations or restrictions without regard for individual choice or informed consent. Posts on X amplify these concerns, labeling HB 1531 a “shameless power grab” that could “wipe out” exemptions, affecting firefighters, nurses, teachers, and private citizens alike.
While the bill’s text does not explicitly mandate vaccines or eliminate exemptions, its vague language raises fears of broad interpretation. For chiropractors, who themselves are and who often serve patients skeptical of mainstream medical interventions, HB 1531 could pressure them to enforce state directives, potentially clashing with their holistic philosophy and patient-centered care. Yet, no significant public opposition has emerged from the WSCA, CQAC, or Washington Chiropractic College, a silence that mirrors their acquiescence during the COVID-19 mandates.
Chiropractic Leadership’s History of Compliance
The chiropractic profession in Washington State has a documented history of complying with controversial public health mandates, even when scientific evidence was lacking. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the CQAC and WSCA enforced Governor Jay Inslee’s mask, sanitation, and vaccination orders, despite widespread debate over their efficacy and legality. A June 2023 report highlighted CQAC Chairman David Folweiler’s aggressive stance against chiropractors who opposed these measures. In February 2021 Facebook posts, Folweiler expressed anger toward “antivaxxers” and “anti-maskers,” vowing to “deal with” them as CQAC chair. He described getting vaccinated as receiving a “syringe full of hope,” revealing a clear bias. The CQAC received over 400 complaints against chiropractors for alleged non-compliance, with unknown fines levied and ongoing investigations as of 2023. It remains unclear whether Folweiler recused himself from related complaints, despite his public prejudice.
Folweiler’s actions were not isolated. The WSCA, aligned with the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), urged chiropractors to comply with mandates to avoid Governor Inslee shutting down the profession. In a 2020 video, Gerry Clum, then Director of Healthcare Policy at LIFE University, scolded Washington chiropractors, claiming they had “no God-given right” to practice and warning that non-compliance could lead to state sanctions. Clum dismissed masks and sanitizers as inconsequential to chiropractic and insisted they were necessary to “protect” the profession, ignoring exemptions under the Americans with Disabilities Act. WSCA leaders echoed this, admitting the mandates lacked scientific backing but urging chiropractors to “go along to get along.” They claimed chiropractors faced the most COVID-related complaints among healthcare professions, though no data supported this.
This compliance extended beyond Washington. Across the U.S., chiropractic boards sanctioned thousands of chiropractors for non-compliance or for educating patients about chiropractic’s role in immune function, following debunked claims by the ACA, Parker University, the WFC and others that such links lacked evidence. In state after state chiropractors faced practice suspensions, with evidence suggesting targeted shutdowns.
Silence on HB 1531: A Missed Opportunity
The chiropractic profession’s silence on HB 1531 is striking, given its potential to affect practitioners and patients. The WSCA, the sole state association representing chiropractors engages in legislative advocacy, but has not issued public statements or rallied members to oppose the bill. The CQAC, tasked with regulating chiropractic competency and quality, has not commented, despite its history of enforcing state mandates. Washington Chiropractic College, a new institution aiming to train future practitioners, has also remained quiet, missing a chance to advocate for its students’ future autonomy. This inaction contrasts with the vocal opposition from groups like Informed Choice Washington and posts on X, which urge Governor Ferguson to veto the bill.
This silence suggests a continuation of the profession’s deference to state authority, rooted in fear of repercussions. During the COVID-19 era, WSCA leaders worried that non-compliance could prompt Inslee to revoke chiropractic practice rights, a fear Clum and others reinforced. Folweiler’s zealous enforcement and the CQAC’s pursuit of hundreds of complaints further chilled dissent. The profession’s failure to challenge unscientific measures like mask mandates—now widely criticized as ineffective—has left a legacy of mistrust among chiropractors and patients who value bodily autonomy.
No Accountability for Unscientific Mandates
Shockingly, no chiropractic leaders or regulators in Washington—or elsewhere—have faced accountability for enforcing unscientific mandates. Folweiler, a CQAC member until at least 2022 and part of the ACA, faced no known repercussions for his biased statements or potential role in sanctioning chiropractors. The CQAC and WSCA continue to operate without addressing the over 400 complaints or the financial and professional toll on chiropractors. Nationally, boards that targeted chiropractors for questioning mandates or discussing immune function have not retracted their actions, despite evidence debunking their claims.
The mask mandates, which Folweiler “raged” about, exemplify this failure. By 2021, research already questioned their efficacy, yet chiropractors faced sanctions for non-compliance. Clum and others acknowledged the weak science but prioritized compliance over principle. This betrayal of chiropractic’s holistic ethos, which emphasizes natural health and patient choice, has not been addressed. Chiropractors who faced fines, investigations, or practice restrictions have received no redress, and patients who relied on chiropractors for non-invasive care were left vulnerable.
Commentary: A Call for Courage and Accountability
The chiropractic profession’s silence on HB 1531 and its compliance with past mandates reflect a leadership crisis. Washington’s chiropractors, trained to prioritize patient-centered care and question mainstream medical dogma, should be at the forefront of opposing legislation that risks centralizing health decisions. Instead, the WSCA, CQAC, and Washington Chiropractic College have ceded ground, perhaps fearing state retaliation as they did under Inslee. This mirrors a broader failure within chiropractic to uphold its principles during crises, as seen in Clum’s dismissal of human rights and Folweiler’s vindictive rhetoric.
The lack of accountability is indefensible. Folweiler’s public bias should have prompted his recusal and a CQAC review of all COVID-related complaints. The WSCA’s admission that mandates lacked science should have spurred advocacy, not capitulation. The profession must demand transparency—how many chiropractors were fined? How much was lost? Were sanctions fair?—and push for restitution. Nationally, chiropractic boards owe apologies for targeting practitioners who spoke truth about immune function or questioned mandates.
HB 1531 is a wake-up call. Chiropractors must unite to protect their scope of practice and patients’ rights. The WSCA should mobilize its members to contact Governor Ferguson (360-902-4111) and demand a veto. The CQAC must clarify its stance on enforcing future mandates, and Washington Chiropractic College should train students to resist unscientific policies. Without action, the profession risks becoming complicit in a system that prioritizes control over health freedom.
Conclusion
Washington State’s chiropractic profession stands at a crossroads with HB 1531. Its silence reflects a pattern of compliance with unscientific mandates, driven by fear and epitomized by leaders like Folweiler. The failure to hold anyone accountable for past harms—fines, sanctions, and lost trust—undermines chiropractic’s credibility. As Governor Ferguson weighs his decision, chiropractors must find their voice, reject complicity, and advocate for a future where health choices remain free. The time for courage is now.
