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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

February 11 represented the halfway point of the 60-day legislative session. From now until March 13, the Legislature will consider hundreds of bills – including the supplemental operating, transportation and capital budgets. The next major deadline for state lawmakers is February 18 – house of origin cutoff. This means bills that originate in the House or Senate must pass out of those respective chambers or they are considered “dead.” This deadline helps state lawmakers narrow their focus for the homestretch of the legislative session.

While there are many pieces of legislation still in the pipeline that would affect employers and their employees, below is an update on the bills that I shared with you on January 29. I welcome your feedback. You can also comment on these bills by going to apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/, entering the four-digit bill number, and hitting the green box that says “Comment on this bill.”

  • Senate Bill 5127 – Amending provisions governing structured settlements by removing age barriers and clarifying legislative intent (workers’ compensation). Passed the Senate 27-22; referred to the House Labor and Workforce Development Committee.
  • House Bill 1236 – Requiring state agencies to make permit decisions in 90 days or the permit is granted. Never received a hearing in the House Government Accountability and Oversight Committee.
  • House Bill 1313 – Establishing mandatory minimum standards for sick and safe leave from employment. Passed the House 52-45, referred to the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee.
  • House Bill 1619 – Suspending Growth Management Act requirements in counties with persistent unemployment. Never received a hearing in the House Local Government Committee.
  • House Bill 2147 – Concerning voluntary independent contractor certification. Passed the House Labor and Workforce Development Committee; currently in the House Appropriations Committee.
  • House Bill 2192 – Promoting economic development through enhancing transparency and predictability of state agency permitting and review processes. Passed the House Government Operations and Elections Committee; currently in the House Rules Committee (where bills go before the House floor).
  • House Bill 2201 – Proprietary wage and employee information reporting requirements for businesses utilizing tax incentives. Passed the House Finance Committee; currently in the House Rules Committee.
  • House Bill 2204 – Reestablishing the rural county sales-and-use-tax exemption program. Received a public hearing in the House Finance Committee; likely will not advance out of that committee.
  • House Bill 2238 – Addressing mandatory paid vacation. Received a public hearing in the House Labor and Workforce Development Committee; likely will not advance out of that committee.
  • House Bill 2258 – Simplifying and providing clarity to independent contractor tests for the construction industry. Received a public hearing in the House Labor and Workforce Development Committee; likely will not advance out of that committee.
  • House Bill 2332 – Triple damages and added legal costs for employer wage violations. Passed the House 53-45; likely referred to the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee.
  • House Bill 2333 – Punitive and complex “anti-retaliation” measures that allows unions to bring action against non-union businesses. Passed the House Labor and Workforce Development Committee and passed the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services. Currently in the House Rules Committee.
  • House Bill 2334 – Punitive anti-independent contractor legislation (would make it very hard to for businesses to utilize independent contractors). Passed the House Labor and Workforce Development Committee and passed the House Appropriations Committee. Currently in the House Rules Committee.
  • House Bill 2588 – Requiring employers to pay a penalty for all employees receiving state medical assistance. Received a public hearing in the House Health Care and Wellness Committee; likely will not advance out of that committee.
  • House Bill 2672 – Increasing the minimum hourly wage to $12 over three years. Passed the House Labor and Workforce Development Committee; received public hearing in House Appropriations Committee. It is unclear whether this bill will reach the House floor.
  • House Bill 2693 – Amending the definition of commercial airplane for specific tax preferences to include other types of commercial aircraft to encourage the migration of good wage jobs in the state. Received a public hearing in the House Finance Committee; likely will not advance out of that committee.

 

Staying connected to Olympia

If you would ever like to get a hold of me or any state lawmakers, you can call the legislative hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Here are some useful links:

 

In your service,

Dan Kristiansen

State Representative Dan Kristiansen, 39th Legislative District
RepresentativeDanKristiansen.com
426A Legislative Building | P.O. Box 40600 | Olympia, WA 98504-0600
dan.kristiansen@leg.wa.gov
(360) 786-7967 | Toll-free: (800) 562-6000