The 2021 Legislative Session begins on January 11, 2021 and will run for 105 consecutive days. Below are lists of bills that may impact Veterans, Families or Military Members. (This list is not an endorsement of any proposal by WDVA.)
Click here to find information on the Governor's Budget Proposal for WDVA.
Visit https://app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/ for more detailed bill information.
| Bill Number | Title | Sponsor (Combined) | Status | Bill Summary | Hearing Dates | |
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| HB 1043 | Audiology & speech compact | (Leavitt) | H HC/Wellness | Establishes the audiology and speech-language pathology interstate compact. |
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| HB 1112 | Use tax exemptions | (Dent) | H Finance | Expanding a use tax exemption for new Washington residents and nonresident members of the armed forces. |
Jan 25 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Finance at 10:00 AM. Jan 28 Exec Session |
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| HB 1122 | State guard retirement age | (Lovick) | H Hous, Human Sv | Eliminates the age restriction for enlistment with the Washington State Guard. Allows the Adjutant General to extend the service age of an active member of the Washington State Guard under certain conditions. |
Jan 29 Scheduled for executive session |
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| HB 1181 | Veterans & military suicide | (Orwall) | H Hous, Human Svc | FN requested: Provides for various outreach and services related to preventing suicide among veterans and military service members. Creates the Veterans and Military Members Suicide Prevention Account and a suicide prevention community-based services grant program. Extends and modifies the Suicide-Safer Homes Task Force. Establishes a new special vehicle license plate emblem. |
Jan 29 Scheduled for executive session |
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| HB 1247 | Mobile home park/prop. tax | (Orcutt) | H Finance | Allowing an additional property tax exemption for seniors, veterans, and persons with disabilities leasing land in a mobile home park or manufactured housing community |
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| HB 1248 | Leased land/property tax ex. | (Orcutt) | H Finance | Allowing leased land in a mobile home park or manufactured housing community to qualify for the senior, veteran, and persons with disabilities property tax exemption. |
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| HB 1250 | Purple heart state | (Orcutt) | H State Govt & T | FN Requested. Designating Washington a purple heart state. |
Jan 27 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations at 8:00 AM. Jan 28 Exec Session |
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| HB 1314 | Veteran diversion/invol comm | (Young) | H Civil R & Judi | Crisis stabilization units or treatment facilities must ask within 3 hours whether a person is a veteran. If they are they must contact the VHA and request a transfer. |
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| SB 5056 | Wilderness therapy programs | (Salomon) | S Health & Long | Requires the Department of Health to create a business license for wilderness therapy programs. Provides parameters for wilderness therapy programs. Requires rulemaking for wilderness therapy programs to be completed by December 31, 2022. |
Jan 18 Scheduled for public hearing |
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| SB 5059 | Monument protection | (McCune) | S Law & Justice | Adds to existing law that a public monument includes a statue and defines public body to include the federal government, state of WA, its agencies and others. Increases penalty from a misdemeanor to a class C felony. |
Jan 26 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 10:30 AM. Jan 28 Exec Session
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| SB 5247 | Multistate nurse licensure | (Padden) | S Health & Long | Concerning the multistate nurse licensure compact |
| Bill Number | Title | Sponsor (Combined) | Status | Bill Summary | Hearing Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HB 1027 | Administrative cost of state | (Walsh) | H Approps | |||
| HB 1065 | Epidemic, pandemic vaccines | (Eslick) | H HC/Wellness | No law, rule, by any government or private entity, shall require the receipt of any epidemic or pandemic vaccines, including vaccines used to prevent SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19, for any reason, including, but not limited to, as a condition of employment (or other things) unless certain conditions are met. MORE |
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| HB 1073 | Paid leave coverage | (Berry) | H Labor & Workpl | House Bill Analysis: Expands coverage of the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program. Expands applicability of the PFML job protection provisions. Requires maintenance of health benefits for employees covered by PFML job protection provisions. |
Jan 27 Scheduled for executive session |
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| HB 1074 | Fatality reviews | (Peterson) | H Rules R | House Bill Analysis: Allows local health departments to establish overdose and suicide fatality review teams to review overdose or suicide deaths and develop strategies to prevent future overdose and suicide deaths. |
Jan 20 Exec Session |
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| HB 1076 | Workplace violations/qui tam | (Hansen) | H Labor & Workpl | Relating to allowing whistleblowers to bring actions on behalf of the state for violations of workplace protections |
Jan 22 Scheduled for public hearing, Jan 27 Scheduled for executive session |
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| HB 1080 | Capital budget 2021-2023 | (Tharinger) | H Cap Budget | Jan 14 Scheduled for public hearing |
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| HB 1087 | Family/med leave continuity | (Berry) | H Labor & Workpla | Specifies that the Family Leave Act as it existed prior to January 1, 2020 applies to valid claims based on conduct before that date, and the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) Act applies to claims after that date. |
Jan 27 Scheduled for executive session |
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| HB 1093 | Operating budget, 2nd supp. | (Ormsby) | H Approps | Jan 14 Scheduled for public hearing |
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| HB 1094 | Operating budget 2021-2023 | (Ormsby) | H Approps | Jan 14 Scheduled for public hearing |
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| HB 1101 | Unused public buildings | (Walsh) | H Cap Budget | Creating a grant program for converting unused public buildings to housing for homeless persons. |
Jan 26 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Capital Budget at 1:30 PM (Subject to change). |
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| HB 1120 | Long-term services/emergency | (Tharinger) | H HC/Wellness | Changes requirements relating to background checks for long-term care workers. Alters certain regulatory requirements relating to long-term care facilities in the event of a pandemic, natural disaster, or other declared state of emergency. Allows registered nurses to delegate glucose monitoring and testing. Changes supervision and evaluation requirements relating to the delegation of insulin injections by a registered nurse. Changes licensing requirements for nursing assistants. |
Jan 27 Scheduled for executive session |
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| HB 1124 | Nurse delegation/glucose | (Cody) | H HC/Wellness | Allows a registered nurse to delegate glucose monitoring and testing to a registered or certified nursing assistant or a certified home care aide. |
Jan 27 Scheduled for executive session |
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| HB 1177 | State spending prgs. review | (Stokesbary) | H Approps | Implementing the periodic review of state spending programs. |
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| HB 1178 | Zero-based budget reviews | (Stokesbary) | H Approps | Improving state budgeting through zero-based budget reviews. |
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| HB 1179 | Fiscal notes | (Stokesbary) | H Approps | Addressing fiscal notes and dynamic fiscal impact statements. |
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| HB 1182 | Crisis response services | (Orwall) | H HC/Wellness | FN Requested: Enhancing and expanding behavioral health and suicide prevention crisis response services. Creates an implementation coalition with a representative from WDVA. |
Jan 28 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Health Care & Wellness at 10:00 AM (Subject to change). |
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| HB 1197 | Health care decisions | (Riccelli) | H Civil R & Judi | Allows a patient, while competent, to designate a health care proxy by informing certain health care providers, who would then be required to sign and enter the information into the patient’s health record. |
Jan 22 Scheduled for executive session / Jan 29 Scheduled for executive session |
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| HB 1218 | Long-term care residents | (Bateman) | H HC/Wellness | Relating to improving the health, safety, and quality of life for residents in long-term care facilities through emergency preparedness, improvements in communications, resident information, and notice of sanctions |
Jan 28 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Health Care & Wellness at 10:00 AM |
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| HB 1242 | Health care workers/leave | (Leavitt) | H Labor & Workpl | During public health emergencies, requires employers to allow paid administrative leave for employees not permitted to telework when, the employee is being tested and awaiting results, or having a negative reaction to vaccine, or experiencing symptoms, or has been advised to quarantine by a health care provider. MORE |
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| HB 1264 | Equity impact statement | (Thai) | H State Govt & T | Establishing an equity impact statement for legislative proposals |
Jan 25 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations at 1:30 PM. Jan 28 Exec Session |
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| SB 5021 | Retirement benefits/furlough | (Hunt) | S Ways & Means | Senate Bill Report: Provides that specified public pensions will not be reduced as a result of compensation reductions that are part of a public employer's expenditure reduction efforts during the 2009-2021 and 2021-23 fiscal biennia. Provides that the pension benefit of an employee covered by a pension system that is administered by the DRS is not reduced as a result of participation in an employment insurance shared work program. |
Jan 28 Scheduled for executive session |
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| SB 5061 | Unemployment insurance | (Keiser) | S 2nd Reading | SSB Report: Provides unemployment insurance benefits to high risk individuals, or those who live with high risk individuals, who voluntarily quit their jobs during a public health emergency if they cannot work from home for that employer, but are able and available to work from home for other employers. Waives the one-week waiting period and shared work benefits when paid by the federal government. Increases the minimum weekly benefit amount from 15 percent to 20 percent of the average weekly wage. Limits an individual's weekly benefit amount to the individual's weekly wage. MORE |
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| SB 5064 | Unemployment/voluntary | (Saldaña) | S Labor, Comm & | Expands a good cause quit for unemployment insurance purposes after January 2, 2022 to include: a separation from work because a child or a vulnerable adult in the claimant's care is inaccessible; alteration of the claimant's usual work shifts so as to make care for a child or vulnerable adult in the claimant's care inaccessible; or separation from work to relocate near a minor child. Makes benefits paid for alteration of the work shift, making care for a child or vulnerable adult in the claimant's care inaccessible, only chargeable to the separating employer's experience rating account. Makes benefits paid related to relocation near a minor child noncharged to contribution paying employers' experience rating account. |
Jan 20 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Labor, Commerce & Tribal Affairs at 10:30 AM (Subject to change). |
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| SB 5083 | Capital budget 2021-2023 | (Frockt) | S Ways & Means | Jan 12 Scheduled for public hearing |
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| SB 5091 | Operating budget, 2nd supp. | (Rolfes) | S Ways & Means | Jan 12 Scheduled for public hearing |
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| SB 5092 | Operating budget 2021-2023 | (Rolfes) | S Ways & Means | Jan 12 Scheduled for public hearing |
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| SB 5097 | Paid leave coverage | (Robinson) | S Labor, Comm & | Senate Bill Report: Changes the definition of family member. Modifies the requirements for certain employment protections upon return from leave. Modifies which employees are eligible for continuation of health benefits during leave. |
Jan 18 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Labor, Commerce & Tribal Affairs at 9:00 AM (Subject to change). |
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| SB 5115 | Health emergency/labor | (Keiser) | S Labor, Comm & | FN Requested: Creates an occupational disease presumption for frontline workers during a public health emergency for the purposes of workers' compensation. Requires employers to accommodate an employee's voluntary use of protective equipment during a public health emergency. Prohibits discrimination against an employee who raises a reasonable concern about infection control in the workplace during a public health emergency and authorizes a person to bring actions on behalf of the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) in court for violations of the retaliation provisions of the bill. Expands the eligibility for Family and Medical Leave to employees that earn at least $1,000 in covered employment if their qualifying period includes a public health emergency. Requires an employer to pay its lower-paid frontline employees health emergency pay during a public health emergency. Requires employers to notify L&I when a certain percentage of their workforce becomes infected during a public health emergency. Establishes additional sick leave for employees who are quarantined or infected, caring for someone who is quarantined or infected, or caring for their child due to school or child care closures during a public health emergency. Requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide emergency child care leave during a public health emergency. Establishes a business and occupation tax credit for the wages paid by an employer under the new sick leave and childcare leave requirements in the bill. |
Jan 18 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Labor, Commerce & Tribal Affairs at 9:00 AM (Subject to change). |
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| SB 5130 | Personnel files & discipline | (Kuderer) | S Labor, Comm & | Concerning employee's rights concerning personnel files and disciplinary actions. |
Jan 25 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Labor, Commerce & Tribal Affairs at 9:30 AM (Subject to change). |
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| SB 5190 | Health care workers/benefits | (Holy) | S Labor, Comm & | Providing health care workers with presumptive benefits during a public health emergency. |
Jan 28 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Labor, Commerce & Tribal Affairs at 8:00 AM (Subject to change). |
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| SB 5208 | Public records fees/approval | (Wilson, J.) | S State Govt & E | Requiring legislative approval before agencies may increase fees for public records production |
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| SB 5209 | Crisis response services | (Dhingra) | S Behavioral Heal | FN Requested: Enhancing and expanding behavioral health and suicide prevention crisis response services. |
Jan 29 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Behavioral Health Subcommittee to Health & Long Term Care at 10:30 AM (Subject to change). |
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| SB 5229 | Health equity continuing ed. | (Randall) | S Health & Long | Concerning health equity continuing education for health care professionals |
Jan 29 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Health & Long Term Care at 8:00 AM (Subject to change). |
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| SB 5254 | Protective devices/health | (Salomon) | S Labor, Comm & | Employers must provide required PPE, employers must provide PPE if employees volunteer to wear it during a state of emergency, or under a local public health order, or under a national or regional emergency relating to preventing the spread of infectious disease. MORE |
Jan 25 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Labor, Commerce & Tribal Affairs at 9:30 AM (Subject to change). |
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| SB 5271 | Health care injury/COVID-19 | (Wagoner) | S Law & Justice | Amending the necessary elements of proof of injury during the state of emergency declared due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
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| SB 5274 | Equity impact statement | (Hasegawa) | S State Govt & E | Establishing an equity impact statement for legislative proposals. |
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| SB 5294 | Long-term care/epidemics | (Cleveland) | S Health & Long | Concerning the creation of statewide epidemic preparedness and response guidelines for long-term care facilities. The department of health shall develop epidemic disease preparedness and response guidelines for long-term care facilities. |
Jan 25 Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Health & Long Term Care at 1:30 PM (Subject to change). |
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| SB 5323 | Wages & salaries | (Rolfes) | S Ways & Means | Freezing wage and salaries and providing for furlough days during the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium |
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