Did you notice something different about the OC logo in the picture of Washington state? There’s a “V” with the OC! Why? On April 10, Washington state’s open caption bill passed both chambers of the legislature!

Not only did it pass, it passed the last chamber big! It passed on April 10 with 84 yeas and only 11 nays. It will take effect January 1, 2026.

When it takes effect, open captions will have at least some protection in Washington state. What will this bill do? 

An Amendment was passed on 4/10/25. This Amendment states:

• Theater chains with five or more locations in the state will have to offer regular open caption screenings weekly. 
• The first two weeks of a new movie’s release, covered theaters must provide at least two open caption screenings. Plus, at least one of those two screenings must be during a peak time (defined as between 5:59 pm and 11:01 pm on Fridays or between 10:59 am and 11:01 pm on Saturdays and Sundays)
• Every week after the first two weeks, there must be at least one open caption screening of a new release. That single open caption screening must take place between 5:59 pm and 10:01 pm from Monday to Thursday, or between 5:59 pm and 11:01 pm Fridays, or between 10:59 am and 11:01 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Theater chains with less than five locations in the state will have to offer open captions on request. These theaters must provide open caption screenings within eight calendar days of a request being made. 
• Theaters with less than five locations optionally can follow the same requirements as for theaters with at least five locations.

According to the Amendment, Washington's new open caption law will be named the John Waldo Act, to honor the late John Waldo, a captioning advocate.

Note: New York's and West Virginia's open caption bills are still out there, alive and kicking but in need of support. See our previous updates at change.org/ocmoviesnow for details.

Washington state now joins Hawaii, DC, Maryland, and New York City as having at least limited legal protection for open caption screenings. However, most of the United States still lacks this protection for open captions, so this petition continues! https://change.org/ocmoviesnow