Legislative Updates

The Cosmetology Licensure Compact (Compact) is established, which allows licensed cosmetologists to practice across state lines in Compact states with a multistate license.  In administering and managing Washington single-state cosmetology licenses and multistate licenses under the Compact, the Department of Licensing must consider these licenses as separate professional licensing programs and track and manage revenues and costs generated by each license separately. An active military member or their spouse must designate a home state where the individual has a current license to practice cosmetology in good standing.

Requires the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) to provide information to recently discharged veterans about veterans benefits and services. Expands county eligibility for the WDVA's Veterans Service Officer Program (Program) to counties where the percentage of veterans receiving benefits is below the national average. Prioritizes counties with the lowest percentage of veterans receiving benefits for the Program. Requires the WDVA to provide reports every two years including county-specific information about the number of resident veterans and services available.

This act takes effect July 1, 2028.

Beginning January 1, 2027, the disabled veteran combined service-connected evaluation rating for the SPTE is decreased from 80 percent or higher to 40 percent or higher for taxes levied for collection in calendar year 2027 and thereafter.

The Respiratory Care Practitioner Compact (Compact) is established, which allows licensed respiratory care practitioners to practice across state lines in Compact states under a Compact privilege. An active military member or their spouse must designate a home state where the individual has a current license in good standing.  An active military member and their spouse must not be required to pay any fee to the Commission for a Compact privilege.  A remote state may choose to charge a reduced fee or no fee to an active military member and their spouse if the remote state charges a fee for a Compact privilege.

Grants eligibility for parking privileges for people with disabilities through October 1, 2035, to veterans who use a service animal and have received a qualifying discharge with a 70 percent disability rating or higher from the United States (US) Armed Forces or the US Department of Veterans Affairs

Requests the Washington State Transportation Commission to commence proceedings to designate the bridge that carries Interstate 90 over the Columbia River near Vantage, Washington as the "Medal of Honor Bridge" to show respect and remember Medal of Honor recipients.

An exemption from the state's AFH licensure requirements is provided for a MFH that is under the oversight and annually reviewed by the VA in which care is provided exclusively to three or fewer veterans, and its caregivers are in compliance with applicable state laws including any required training, certification, and background checks. MFH caregivers are considered to be long-term care workers. MFHs are added to the list of facilities where the person admitted to one of those facilities is considered a vulnerable adult. MFH caregivers are also considered to be providers who may not be employed in the care of and have unsupervised access to vulnerable adults if certain circumstances are met.

Allowing for the creation of 13 special license plates including the Naval Academy Plate, requires 3500 signatures in support of the plate. Bill also creates a Special License Plate Moratorium.  Except for special license plates created under this legislation, DOL is prohibited from issuing or accepting applications for any new special license plates until January 1, 2029.  DOL must prominently display this special license plate moratorium on their website.

Family home providers located in the surrounding metropolitan area of a federal military reservation that is overseen and currently certified by a federal military service is not an agency, which exempts this type of provider from child-care licensing by DCYF. DCYF must investigate all referrals of alleged child abuse or neglect occurring at these family home providers.

Gubernatorial Appointment for David Puente Jr.

Lowers the employer size threshold for employment protection rights in the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) Program, and provides an employee with protection if he or she began employment with a qualifying employer at least 180 calendar days before taking leave. Allows employers to prevent stacking of certain employment protection rights by extending employment protection in the PFML Program to periods of unpaid leave protected by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, so long as the employer provides certain notices to the employee, and providing that employment protection expires after certain periods. • • Expands health care coverage protection during any period in which an employee receives PFML Program benefits and is also entitled to employment protection. Expands access to grants for small employers to offset the costs of employees' use of leave in the PFML Program.

Effective date 1/1/2026.

In addition to other permitted disclosures, a client's written acknowledgement of a disclosure statement provided by certain behavioral health providers, as well as information obtained from the client in a professional capacity in order to render professional services, may be disclosed under the Uniform Health Care Information Act.  The disclosure authority applies to licensed mental health counselors, licensed marriage and family therapists, licensed social workers, certified counselors, and certified advisers as well as associatelevel providers in those professions. 

Effective date 7/27/2025.

Companion to SB 5345: SHB: Requires a private employer to provide an employee or former employee with a copy of the employee's personnel file within 21 days of a request, and requires a public employer to do so in accordance with the requirements and procedures of the Public Records Act. Requires a private employer to provide to a former employee, upon request, a statement of the employee's discharge date and reasons, if any, for the discharge. Creates a private cause of action with statutory damages for enforcing the requirements for private employers to disclose personnel files and provide written discharge statements.

Directs the Washington State Patrol to execute the National Crime Prevention and Privacy Compact on behalf of the state in order to facilitate the authorized interstate exchange of criminal history information for noncriminal justice purposes. Modifies and adds definitions to the statutory provisions governing background checks.

Changes the name of the profession of certified peer specialists to "certified peer support specialists." Directs the Health Care Authority (Authority) to contract for the development of courses to supplement the training of certified peer support specialists related to domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Directs the Authority to contract with at least one external entity to develop ways to expand access to peer support services through providing technical assistance, billing health carriers, creating substance use disorder peer-run respite centers, and exploring the use of capitated payment arrangements. Requires that the accessibility to peer services in a managed care organization's network be given significant weight in any procurement for Medicaid managed care services.

Effective date 7/27/2025.

Allows a contractor to bid on a public works project without receiving training on public works and prevailing wage if it has completed at least one public works project within the previous three years and not received a citation for certain violations within that time. Requires bidders who are awarded a contract with apprentice utilization requirements to submit an apprentice utilization plan, but allows contracting agencies to exempt certain bidders from this requirement. Requires the Department of Labor and Industries to publish certain information on its website and develop an apprentice utilization plan template.

ESHB: Requires a baby diaper changing station in both a restroom accessible to women and a restroom accessible to men, or in a gender-neutral restroom, in each newly constructed public building in which a public restroom is required and in any existing public building when a permit is issued for the renovation of a public restroom in the building with an estimated cost of $15,000 or more, with certain exceptions. Allows a required baby diaper changing station to be removed if it is no longer usable to manufacturer standards. Provides that a first violation of the diaper changing station requirement is subject to a warning, with any subsequent violation classified as a class 2 civil infraction. 

Effective date 7/27/2025.

Requires that certain subcontractors named by prime contractors in public works projects be licensed at the time they are named by the prime contractor. Removes the inability of a subcontractor to obtain the necessary license as a basis for which a prime contractor may substitute a listed subcontractor. Removes an outdated direction to the Capital Projects Advisory Review Board to prepare a report.

Effective date 7/27/2025.

Requires certain health care entities to submit ownership, affiliation, and health care services information on behalf of the entity and its subsidiaries and affiliates to the Department of Health (DOH) on an annual basis. Requires the DOH to make the submitted information publicly available. Requires the DOH, in consultation with others, to develop a plan and provide recommendations to the Legislature on how the reporting requirements may apply to individual and independent health care providers, health care facilities, health carriers, health care benefit managers, and provider organizations, and to provide recommendations on changes to the information certain health care entities are required to provide.

Effective date 7/27/2025.

Increases the traffic infraction fee that is deposited in the Traumatic Brain Injury Account (Account) from $5 to $10 per infraction. Requires that at least 30 percent of the annual expenditures from the Account be used exclusively for in-person support groups for individuals with a traumatic brain injury and their families, programs designed for social integration, peer-to-peer mentoring, and equitable geographic access to programs.

Effective date 7/27/2025.

Consolidates regulatory authority relating to competency evaluation, disciplinary authority, and credentialization for nursing assistants under the Board of Nursing.

Expands Board of Nursing composition from 15 to 17 to include nursing assistant members, and an additional registered nurse or licensed practical nurse member.

Effective date 7/1/2026*.

Expands the protections of the Domestic Violence Leave Act to employees who are, or whose family members are, victims of hate crimes. 

Effective date 1/1/2026.

Imposes a civil penalty on an employer that coerces an employee based on an employee's or an employee's family member's immigration status in furtherance of the employer committing a violation of wage payment, condition of labor, or agricultural labor requirements. Requires the Department of Labor and Industries to investigate complaints of coercion by employers.

Effective date 7/1/2025.

The state recognizes Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

Effective date 7/27/2025.

Revises the Ethics in Public Service Act by adding definitions, removing obsolete provisions, correcting internal references, and updating statutory citations. Increases the gift threshold from $50 to $100 and excludes from the definition of gift the following: gift cards of $25 or less given to legislative employees and unsolicited gifts from legislators to legislative staff. Allows the following to be posted on a legislator's official website: generally recognized days or months of note and posts about achievements, honors or awards of extraordinary distinction relating to a constituent as long as the constituent has agreed to the posting. Removes the combined $5,000 cap for penalties and costs, which allows penalties not to exceed $5,000 and a separate order for the recovery of costs of the Legislative Ethics Board.

Effective date 7/27/2025*.

Effective date 5/20/2025*.

Effective date 5/20/2025.

Modifies the definition of employer for purposes of pregnancy and pregnancy-related accommodation. Requires an employer to pay an employee for break and travel time to express milk during work at the employee's regular compensation rate, in addition to meal and rest periods. Transfers investigative and enforcement authority for complaints of failure to provide pregnancy-related accommodations to the Department of Labor and Industries. Allows a person with an infant under 12 months old to request a delay or excusal from jury service if the person is unable to serve due to having an infant under 12 months old.

Effective date 1/1/2027.

Requires performance audits to include social equity impact analysis of programs or services. Extends the deadline for legislative bodies to hold public hearings on the findings of performance audits. 

Effective date 7/27/2025.

PECBA is reorganized by topic and subchapter headings are added. A provision with an expired effective date and a provision containing only a heading and a navigational prompt are repealed. The Code Reviser is directed to correct any crossreferences. An intent section stating that the Legislature does not intend to make any substantive changes to the law and that the subchapter headings are not part of the law is provided.

Effective date 7/27/2025.

Makes changes to Public Employment Relations Commission procedures related to representation petitions, hearings, and the merging of bargaining units under the Public Employees' Collective Bargaining Act. Prohibits public employers from requiring a worker to waive any federal or state statutory right to make a claim as a condition of settling a grievance under a collective bargaining agreement. 

Effective date 7/27/2025.

The requirement for PEBB and SEBB to consider wellness incentives is changed to consider wellness initiatives. The SmartHealth Program offered by PEBB and SEBB is eliminated as of January 1, 2028. Beginning January 1, 2028, employees are no longer eligible to earn a wellness incentive.  Employees who have met the eligibility requirements to receive a wellness incentive by December 31, 2027, will still receive the wellness incentive during the 2028 calendar year.

Effective date 7/27/2025.