Rep. Lisa Parshley

Maddy summaryHB 1503 aims to further digital equity and opportunity for all residents in Washington state, particularly focusing on underserved populations. The bill intends to broaden access to the internet, appropriate devices, and digital skills by expanding state assistance and support programs. It clarifies the collaboration between the Department of Commerce, responsible for broadband infrastructure, and the Office of Equity, which focuses on providing digital devices and services to individuals. Additionally, the bill updates definitions for terms like "broadband," "digital equity," and "low-income" households to enhance these efforts.

Maddy summaryHB 1040 allows people eligible for Washington’s property tax exemption programs (for seniors or disabled residents) to exclude up to $6,000 annually in rental income from their primary residence when calculating income eligibility for the exemption. This applies only to long-term rentals (not short-term rentals like Airbnb, which must still be reported as taxable income). The bill amends existing tax code to include rental income as part of "combined disposable income" calculations, adjusting how income thresholds are applied. It directly affects low-income homeowners in qualifying exemption programs who rent out space in their primary home.

Maddy summaryHB 1412 establishes the Washington State Commission on Middle Eastern and North African Americans to address systemic gaps affecting this community. The commission will focus on improving data collection about MENA populations and advising state agencies and the legislature on policies impacting their needs, such as healthcare access, housing, and education. It requires the governor to appoint 12 diverse members with balanced representation across ethnicities, geography, gender, age, and occupations, serving staggered terms. The commission’s primary duties include developing consistent data collection methods, recommending policy changes, and coordinating community recognition events, while explicitly avoiding overemphasis on religion or international policies.

Maddy summaryHB 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.

Maddy summaryHB 1888 would expand the prescriptive authority of licensed naturopathic physicians in Washington State to include controlled substances in Schedules III through V of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act. Currently, Washington naturopaths have limited prescriptive authority for certain controlled substances, but this bill would align their scope with other states by allowing them to prescribe and manage these medications, including for opioid and benzodiazepine treatment. The bill directly affects licensed naturopathic physicians who currently face restrictions compared to practitioners in neighboring states. It amends Washington Revised Code sections to explicitly include these controlled substances within the scope of naturopathic practice, while maintaining oversight by the Board of Naturopathy. This change aims to address primary care shortages and improve patient access to comprehensive care, particularly in underserved areas.

Maddy summaryHB 1881 requires health care entities to notify Washington’s attorney general and health care authority about major mergers, acquisitions, or contracting affiliations that could impact competition or access to care. It mandates review of these transactions to ensure they maintain or improve access to emergency, primary, reproductive, end-of-life, and gender-affirming care - specifically addressing concerns that past deals reduced access to these services. The bill supplements federal antitrust laws by covering transactions below federal reporting thresholds and giving state agencies tools to investigate potential anticompetitive harm. It directly affects health care providers, insurers, and hospital systems entering significant ownership changes. The law aims to prevent price hikes and limited provider choices, particularly in rural areas, while protecting access to medically necessary care for vulnerable communities.

Maddy summaryHB 1560 imposes a 7.5% tax on the portion of annual compensation exceeding 10 times the state's average wage for the five highest-paid hospital employees without direct patient care, plus the hospital's lead administrator if not included. It directly affects nonprofit hospitals in Washington that pay certain executives excessive compensation, as defined by the bill. The tax revenue will fund programs to improve healthcare access, particularly for vulnerable populations and reproductive care. The tax applies to compensation reported under state health reporting rules, beginning in 2027 for the 2026 tax year.

Maddy summaryHB 1015 requires cities and counties in Washington to mandate home energy performance reports before residential properties (like single-family homes and townhouses) are advertised for sale. The reports, valid for eight years, must include a U.S. Department of Energy home energy score, annual energy costs, greenhouse gas emissions estimates, and efficiency improvement recommendations. Local governments must first assess financial impacts on low-income sellers and implement cost-mitigation programs before enforcing the requirement. The bill also directs the Department of Commerce to create a standardized report format by November 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1843 repeals a state law that previously disqualified students attending school or higher education from receiving unemployment insurance benefits. This change directly affects students who are enrolled in educational programs and seeking unemployment benefits due to job loss. The bill removes the barrier that prevented these students from qualifying for benefits solely based on their enrollment status. As a result, students meeting other eligibility criteria (like recent work history) would no longer be automatically disqualified for attending school. The bill passed the House committee with majority support in February 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1593 creates a permanent Children's Social Equity Land Trust that uses revenue from sustainably managed state forest lands to fund child care programs. The trust acquires forested lands at fair market value (prioritizing lands at risk of non-forest conversion) and manages them for commercial forestry revenue, with all net income deposited into a dedicated child care trust account. This revenue will fund grants specifically targeting child care deserts and overburdened communities - areas with high need for affordable child care, particularly impacting low-income families and communities of color. The bill directly affects working parents and child care providers in these underserved areas by providing new funding streams for child care access.