Rep. Tarra Simmons

Maddy summaryHB 1672 restricts how Washington employers can use technology to monitor employees, requiring clear notice and limiting monitoring to specific, necessary purposes. Employers must provide 15 days' written notice detailing the monitoring method, purpose, data usage, and access rules before implementation, and can only use electronic monitoring for essential job functions, safety, production tracking, or compensation calculation. The law explicitly protects sensitive employee data, including health information like gender-affirming care, reproductive health, and biometric details, preventing misuse for employment decisions. It directly affects all Washington employees subject to workplace technology monitoring, ensuring transparency and limiting invasive practices.

Maddy summaryHB 1866 creates a pilot program allowing Washington state agencies to provide one-time advance funds to eligible nonprofits that have received state grants. Nonprofits must have a recent grant (within six months), a strong performance history, a budget under $5 million, and work in areas like public health, safety, or welfare. Advances are capped at 25% of the grant amount or $100,000 (whichever is lower) and must be repaid from future grant funds. The program expires June 30, 2028, requiring a 2027 report evaluating its effectiveness and recommending future action.

Maddy summaryHB 1734 creates a state grant program to fund capital improvements for facilities used in outdoor learning. It provides competitive grants to tribes, local governments, nonprofits, and others to build, renovate, or rehab facilities that expand access to outdoor education for public school students, particularly in underserved communities. Key provisions require projects to increase student capacity or remove participation barriers, mandate facility maintenance for a set period, and ensure funds are used solely for outdoor learning. The grants are intended to complement existing outdoor education programs by improving infrastructure, not operating costs, with funding requests to be submitted starting in 2027.

Maddy summaryHB 1743 creates a state reimbursement program to help community-based health care providers offer medical services in local jails. It directly affects small health centers that struggle to get malpractice insurance in carceral settings, as they cannot self-insure and face limited coverage options. The bill provides state reimbursement for medical malpractice claims exceeding $50,000, covering defense costs and judgment amounts above that threshold, but only for claims related to health care services. To qualify, providers must be federally qualified health centers or approved clinics, and local jails must submit detailed claims through the state’s risk management process.

Maddy summaryHB 1388 establishes a mobile market program in Washington to expand access to fresh, healthy food for low-income households participating in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and senior farmers market nutrition programs. The bill allows nonprofit mobile markets - operating in areas without farmers markets - to accept these nutrition benefits, directly supporting rural and food desert communities. Key provisions require mobile markets to be nonprofit, serve underserved areas, and obtain USDA approval via waiver to accept benefits. This policy change modernizes existing federal nutrition programs by extending access to mobile food services, benefiting both participants and local farmers.

Maddy summaryHB 1090 requires health benefit plans in Washington State (effective January 1, 2026) to cover a 12-month supply of contraceptive drugs at one time, rather than requiring multiple refills. This directly affects health insurers and enrollees, mandating that plans provide this coverage unless an enrollee or provider requests a smaller supply. Key provisions include allowing on-site dispensing at providers' offices (when available) and requiring plans to follow clinical guidelines for appropriate prescribing. The bill defines "contraceptive drugs" to include all FDA-approved pregnancy prevention medications, such as oral, transdermal, and intravaginal hormonal drugs.

Maddy summaryHB 1448 establishes statewide rules for local governments adopting ranked choice voting (RCV) in elections. It allows counties, cities, school districts, fire districts, and port districts to use RCV for local offices, requiring ballots to let voters rank candidates in order of preference (with at least five rankings per office) and setting clear counting rules for single-winner (instant runoff) and multi-winner (single transferable vote) contests. The bill mandates that single-winner RCV elections must first hold a traditional primary to narrow candidates to five, while multi-winner contests skip primaries. It also requires local governments to implement RCV within two years of adoption and directs the Secretary of State to create rules for ballot design and vote tabulation by May 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 1312 changes how Washington state retirement benefits are handled when a retiree or beneficiary dies mid-month. Currently, if someone dies on the 25th of a 30-day month, their estate must repay five days of benefits already received that month. The bill requires the Department of Retirement Systems to pay benefits through the end of the death month (e.g., until the 30th), with survivor benefits starting the first day of the next month. This applies only to future cases starting January 1, 2026, and does not affect past repayments made before that date.

Maddy summaryHB 1362 creates a pilot program allowing courts in Washington to divert eligible individuals with gambling addiction from traditional sentencing. It requires courts to hold hearings before sentencing to determine if a crime was committed due to gambling addiction, and if so, to place the person in a treatment program supervised by mental health professionals. The program mandates restitution payments, regular progress reports, and referrals to community resources, with costs covered by the participant or through community service if they cannot pay. It excludes individuals convicted of violent crimes (like assault or domestic violence) or with prior convictions for similar offenses.

Maddy summaryHB 1507 prohibits health care providers in Washington from including nondisclosure or nondisparagement clauses in agreements that prevent patients from discussing potential medical malpractice, torts, or crimes related to their care. It makes such clauses void and unenforceable, directly affecting patients who might otherwise be silenced about alleged errors by providers. The bill allows providers to still protect non-malpractice confidential information and requires written notice to patients about invalid clauses in past agreements. Violations carry $10,000 in damages plus legal fees, and the law applies retroactively to agreements signed before its effective date.