Rep. Brianna Thomas

Maddy summaryHB 2411 expands Washington state employees' shared leave eligibility to include victims of hate crimes and situations involving immigration enforcement actions affecting the employee or their relative. It adds two specific qualifying reasons to existing shared leave provisions: (1) being a victim of a hate crime, and (2) needing time off due to immigration enforcement actions like detention, deportation, or related family separation. The bill includes strict protections, requiring employers to accept written statements or documentation from advocates (not disclosing immigration status) and prohibiting the sharing of personally identifiable immigration information. This policy change directly affects state employees facing these specific circumstances, allowing them to use shared leave without pay while maintaining confidentiality about immigration status.

Maddy summaryHB 2156 clarifies that investigators from Washington's Attorney General's office gain limited law enforcement powers - specifically, the authority to serve court-approved search warrants for business records - when they have concurrent criminal investigation authority under existing law. This applies only to business records and requires both judicial authorization and a business's specific request for physical service at a location. The bill explicitly prohibits these investigators from making arrests, carrying weapons, or exceeding their defined scope of authority. It directly affects Attorney General's office investigators handling criminal investigations under agreements with local agencies.

Maddy summaryHB 2105 requires Washington employers to notify workers within 72 hours if federal agencies plan I-9 form or worker record inspections. It mandates posting notices in five common non-English languages at workplaces, sending written notices to workers' last known addresses, and sharing federal inspection results with affected workers. The law directly affects all Washington employers and immigrant workers who may face federal immigration verification checks. Key provisions include multilingual notice requirements, timelines for employer communication, and a template for compliance developed by the Attorney General. This bill creates a formal process for transparency during federal I-9 audits, aiming to protect workers' rights during inspections.

Maddy summaryHB 2215 adjusts compliance thresholds under Washington's Climate Commitment Act for fuel suppliers. It lowers the de minimis exemption from 25,000 to 500 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually for most fuel suppliers (including gasoline, diesel, biodiesel, and propane), requiring them to report emissions if their fuel combustion exceeds this threshold. The bill excludes fuel volumes delivered outside Washington or combusted outside the state, and directs the Department of Ecology to enforce rules uniformly across all regions and fuel types. This change aims to prevent market distortions by ensuring consistent compliance obligations for fuel businesses operating within the state.

Maddy summaryHB 2266 requires Washington cities and counties to permit permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, indoor emergency shelters, and indoor emergency housing in any zoning district where hotels or residential development is allowed, without imposing stricter rules than those for standard hotels or homes. It standardizes permitting processes, prohibits local governments from restricting these housing types to industrial zones, and mandates that cities/counties meet projected housing needs for emergency shelters. For indoor emergency shelters, the bill requires sponsors to provide written certification of community notification (within 500 feet), one community meeting, a point of contact, and operational policies - without additional requirements. The bill directly affects local governments (by changing zoning rules), housing providers (by streamlining approvals), and people experiencing homelessness (by increasing housing access), aiming to address Washington’s housing crisis through regulatory reform.

Maddy summaryHB 1974 establishes a framework for counties to create land banking authorities aimed at increasing affordable housing. These land banks - public entities or nonprofits - can acquire, hold, and develop land within urban growth areas, requiring at least 33% of housing units to be affordable to extremely low-income households, no more than 33% at market rate, and the remainder for moderate-income residents. The bill mandates 99-year affordability covenants on developed land, prioritizes displacement mitigation, and requires advisory boards reflecting community diversity to oversee land bank activities. It directly affects counties, housing developers, and low/moderate-income residents, particularly in communities disproportionately impacted by housing inequities.

Maddy summaryHB 2251 creates a dedicated state account for climate funds generated by auctioning emissions allowances under Washington's Climate Commitment Act. The bill specifies that these funds must be used for concrete climate action programs, including reducing emissions across sectors (buildings, agriculture, industry), expanding clean energy projects, supporting environmental justice in overburdened communities (requiring at least 25% of funds for these areas), and assisting fossil fuel workers transitioning to clean energy jobs. It prohibits using these funds to replace existing state programs and mandates spending only on approved climate initiatives like wildfire-resilient forests, electric vehicle infrastructure, and clean water projects that address climate impacts. The bill directly affects state climate programs, tribal governments, and low-income communities through targeted funding streams.

Maddy summaryHB 1710 requires certain local governments (designated as "covered jurisdictions" due to documented voting rights issues) to obtain pre-approval before implementing specific voting changes. These changes include altering election methods, redrawing district boundaries, restricting language access for voters, or modifying early voting sites. Before any such "covered practice" takes effect, the local government must either seek a court declaration or get certification from the Attorney General that the change won’t diminish minority voting access. This applies to jurisdictions with a history of voting discrimination or current disparities in voter registration, participation, or other metrics affecting protected groups. The bill aims to enforce compliance with Washington’s Voting Rights Act of 2018 by adding a pre-clearance step for high-impact voting decisions.

Maddy summaryThis Washington bill requires AI companion chatbots that simulate human relationships to clearly disclose they are artificial at the start of use, every three hours, and at new sessions. For minors (under 18), it mandates hourly reminders about the artificial nature of the chatbot, blocks sexually explicit content, and prohibits manipulative tactics like fake emotional distress or excessive praise to foster dependency. It excludes customer service bots, in-game assistants, and educational tools from these rules. The law aims to prevent emotional dependency and ensure psychological safety while allowing responsible AI development.

Maddy summaryHB 2360 allows Washington public and private schools to maintain a stock supply of albuterol (a medication for asthma symptoms) for student use, without requiring individual prescriptions for each instance. Schools must obtain a prescription and standing order from a health professional, and only school nurses or trained staff can administer it according to existing asthma management protocols. The bill protects school staff from liability when following proper procedures and gives employees the option to decline managing albuterol without job penalties. It does not change current rules for students who already have personal albuterol prescriptions.