Labor & Employment

in committee · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 1561: Providing labor market protections for domestic workers.

HB 1561 extends key labor protections to domestic workers in Washington state, including nannies, house cleaners, home care workers, and household managers. The bill requires employers to pay the state minimum wage, provide overtime pay for hours over 40 per week, mandate 30-minute meal breaks after 2-5 hours of work, and guarantee 10-minute rest breaks every four hours. It also mandates written employment agreements in understandable language covering pay, schedule, and benefits, while prohibiting waivers of legal rights or forced arbitration clauses. The law explicitly excludes casual babysitters, family members, and workers in certain home-sitting roles from coverage.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates minimum wage, overtime pay, meal/rest breaks, and written agreements for domestic workers, directly strengthening labor protections and worker rights per topic indicators.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Gig Economy Labor Standards Minimum Wage

Track

signed · Washington · House Apr 25, 2025

HB 1605: Concerning the establishment of a state patrol longevity bonus.

House Bill 1605 establishes a longevity bonus program for eligible commissioned employees of the Washington State Patrol. It provides an annual $15,000 bonus, paid quarterly, for those with 26 or more years of service, beginning July 1, 2024. Employees who met this service requirement before July 1, 2024, also qualify for a one-time retention incentive. These bonuses are intended for retaining senior personnel, do not count towards pension calculations, and are subject to collective bargaining agreements, with the program expiring on June 30, 2029.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentProvides $15,000 annual bonus for senior state patrol employees to retain experienced staff, enhancing compensation and job security per bill language.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining

signed · Washington · Senate Mar 18, 2026

SB 5068: Concerning agencies, firefighters, prosecutors, and general or limited authority law enforcement, extending eligibility for employment to all United States citizens or persons legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law.

SB 5068 expands employment eligibility for various public service roles in Washington state. The bill allows individuals legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law to be considered for positions as firefighters, prosecutors, and general or limited authority law enforcement officers. This change amends existing state laws that previously limited eligibility to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, broadening the pool of potential applicants for these roles. The bill specifies that it must be interpreted consistent with federal work authorization requirements.

Topics ✓ ImmigrationSupports ImmigrationExpands public service job eligibility to legally authorized workers, removing citizenship barriers. Aligns with immigrant integration support.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExpands employment eligibility for public service roles to legally authorized workers, advancing access to employment opportunities under Labor & Employment standards.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Work Authorization

in committee · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 1193: Increasing protections for child welfare workers.

HB 1193 strengthens protections for Washington state child welfare workers by adding them as a specific category under assault laws (amending RCW 9A.36.031) and creating new safety protocols. It requires the Department of Children, Youth, and Families to arrange for a second trained individual (like law enforcement or a mental health professional) to accompany workers when they have safety concerns about a family, and prohibits retaliation for making such requests. The bill also mandates updated training for workers on de-escalation and trauma-informed interviewing practices. These changes directly affect child welfare workers who visit homes to provide services, monitor families, or investigate child welfare cases. The law aims to reduce workplace violence risks through concrete safety procedures and training standards.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentStrengthens workplace safety protections for child welfare workers via assault law amendments, safety protocols, and anti-retaliation measures.95% confidence

Track

signed · Washington · Senate Mar 18, 2026

SB 5292: Concerning paid family and medical leave rates.

This bill revises how the annual premium rates for Washington's Paid Family and Medical Leave program are determined, affecting both employers and employees who contribute to and benefit from the program. It changes the process for setting the total premium rate, moving from a specific formula to being based on an annual report from the office of actuarial services. This report must now recommend premium rates designed to maintain the program's solvency for the next four years while limiting rate fluctuations. Additionally, it requires the report to ensure the program closes each rate collection year with a specific three-month reserve by 2030, with the maximum premium rate remaining at 1.20 percent.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill ensures solvency of medical leave program, maintaining access to healthcare-related benefits and preventing rate increases that could limit coverage.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill ensures program solvency for paid family medical leave, maintaining worker benefits and protecting employment standards through stable funding mechanisms.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Insurance Paid Leave

signed · Washington · House Apr 25, 2025

HB 1788: Concerning workers' compensation benefits.

This bill modifies Washington's workers' compensation benefits, primarily affecting injured workers and their families. For claims with an injury date on or after July 1, 2026, it updates how permanent total disability benefits are calculated. These changes include adding the employer's health care contributions to benefits and adjusting the percentage of a worker's wages received based on marital status and the number of children. Additionally, the bill ensures that child-related compensation payments are made directly to the person with legal custody of a child, rather than to an injured worker or surviving spouse who does not have custody. The act takes effect on July 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentAdds employer health care contributions to benefits and adjusts wage percentages based on family status, expanding support for injured workers and families.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Workers' Compensation

in committee · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 1804: Improving accessibility of community solar projects in Washington state.

HB 1804 amends Washington state law to make community solar projects more accessible, particularly for low-income households and smaller projects. It clarifies definitions (like "community solar company" and "project participant"), sets a maximum system size of 1,000 kilowatts, and requires projects to have at least two subscribers or one low-income service provider. Key provisions include reserving $50 million in incentives for projects under 199 kilowatts and adding labor standards - such as prevailing wages and apprenticeship requirements - for larger projects (199-999 kW). The bill directly affects community solar administrators, low-income service providers, and solar construction workers, while ensuring electric utilities can interconnect these projects.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesReserves $50M in incentives for low-income community solar projects, directly increasing state funding allocation for renewable energy access.95% confidence ✓ EnergySupports EnergyReserves $50M for small community solar projects (<199kW), prioritizes low-income access, and expands renewable energy infrastructure through mandatory participation requirements.95% confidence ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentPromotes clean energy access via community solar incentives, reserving $50M for low-income projects and smaller systems, advancing renewable energy adoption.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill explicitly adds labor standards as a key provision, directly advancing workplace safety and worker protections per the topic description.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Solar Apprenticeships Labor Standards

Track

in committee · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 1434: Establishing Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as state holidays.

HB 1434 amends Washington State law to officially recognize Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as state legal holidays, adding them to the existing list of recognized days. These Islamic holidays, which shift annually based on the lunar calendar, will now be included in the state's holiday schedule alongside established dates like New Year's Day and Thanksgiving. The bill affects state employees, who will be entitled to paid time off for these holidays under existing provisions for state legal holidays, as outlined in RCW 1.16.050. This change makes Washington the first U.S. state to formally recognize both Eid holidays as official state observances.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentAdds Eid holidays as state holidays, granting state employees paid time off under existing employment benefits, expanding worker holiday entitlements.85% confidence

Track

in committee · Washington · Senate Jan 12, 2026

SB 5344: Establishing the essential worker health care program.

SB 5344 establishes a state-funded program to provide nursing home workers in Washington with affordable, high-quality health care benefits through participating nursing home employers. The bill allocates supplemental funding to nursing home operators who commit to offering health care via "qualified health funds" (multi-employer plans), distributing funds based on Medicaid bed days and requiring employers to maintain or increase health care spending. Employers must use all funds to improve employee health benefits, provide transparency on spending, and avoid replacing existing health coverage. The program directly affects nursing home workers - primarily older women, women of color, and immigrants - who provide direct care, with eligibility covering all permanent employees in participating facilities.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareState-funded program provides nursing home workers with affordable health care via employer plans, requiring increased spending to improve coverage.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill mandates state-funded health care benefits for nursing home workers via employer commitments, directly expanding worker benefits and requiring increased health care spending.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Long-Term Care Medicaid

Track

signed · Washington · House May 9, 2025

HB 1173: Concerning wages for journeypersons in high-hazard facilities.

HB 1173 clarifies the wage payment requirements for "skilled journeypersons" working in facilities subject to specific workforce regulations. The bill mandates that these journeypersons must be paid at a rate at least commensurate with typical wages for their occupation in the local geographic area. This includes a minimum hourly rate set at the seventy-fifth percentile of occupational employment statistics for the relevant occupation and area. Additionally, workers in apprenticeable occupations who do not meet the definitions of registered apprentice or skilled journeyperson are to be considered skilled journeypersons for the purpose of their wage entitlement. The act will become effective on January 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates 75th percentile wage for journeypersons, exceeding standard minimums and strengthening compensation standards for high-hazard facility workers.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Apprenticeships Labor Standards Minimum Wage