Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law Substitute House Bill 1905 on March 28, 2024, broadening the scope of Washington’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA)....more
4/30/2024
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Equal Pay Act ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Governor Inslee ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Washington
Beginning in 2024, both Washington and California will prohibit employers from basing hiring decisions on an applicant’s legal marijuana use.
What Is Prohibited?
Effective January 1, 2024, employers are prohibited...more
11/17/2023
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Cannabis Products ,
Drug Testing ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Governor Inslee ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Off-Duty Employees ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Screening Procedures ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
State Legislatures ,
Washington
Washington Governor Jay Inslee will end the statewide COVID-19 emergency declaration on October 31, 2022, and rescind all remaining COVID-19 emergency proclamations. Despite the governor’s action, however, Washington’s Health...more
Earlier this year, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law amendments to the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFML Amendments), which permit additional paid leave opportunities for new parents. The PFML...more
7/14/2022
/ Employee Handbooks ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Family Medical Leave ,
Governor Inslee ,
New Amendments ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
State and Local Government ,
Washington
Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law the Silenced No More Act (Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1795) on March 24, 2022, making Washington the second state in the nation after California to prohibit employers from...more
4/6/2022
/ Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Governor Inslee ,
Independent Contractors ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Non-Disparagement Provisions ,
Pre-Employment Agreements ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Washington
Washington Governor Jay Inslee, on March 30, 2022, signed into law amendments to the state’s Equal Pay and Opportunity Act (EPOA Amendments), which soon will require most Washington employers to include pay ranges and...more
4/4/2022
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Equal Pay Act ,
Governor Inslee ,
Job Applicants ,
New Legislation ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Transparency ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Washington
Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed the Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA) on May 11, 2021. HELSA went into effect immediately and applies to workplaces only during a declared public health emergency involving an...more
9/23/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Governor Inslee ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Legislation ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
Workplace Safety
On April 16, 2021, Governor Jay Inslee signed into law the Washington Wage Recovery Act, allowing employees to place a lien on their employers’ property to secure unpaid wages.
The purpose of the law is to provide...more
6/24/2021
/ Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Governor Inslee ,
Liens ,
New Legislation ,
Property Liens ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
State Legislatures ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour
Governor Jay Inslee recently signed the Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA or the Act), a sweeping worker protection bill recently passed by the state legislature. The Act amends the state’s worker’s compensation and...more
6/7/2021
/ Governor Inslee ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
State Legislatures ,
Workers Compensation Act
In 2019, Washington passed the first law in the nation requiring employees to fund a state-operated long-term care insurance program. The program, codified at RCW 50B.04 and set to begin on January 1, 2025, will be funded by...more
Beginning January 1, 2020, Washington employers in industries including hospitality, retail, security, and contracted property services will need to comply with a new law amending the Washington Law Against Discrimination...more
12/24/2019
/ Covered Employer ,
Department of Labor & Industry ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Governor Inslee ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Independent Contractors ,
New Legislation ,
Property Service Workers ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Worker Protection Standard
Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law legislation in April 2019 that requires school districts to allow parents and guardians to administer to their child marijuana-infused medications on school grounds, in school...more
8/26/2019
/ Controlled Substances ,
Drug-Free Workplace Act ,
Federal Funding ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Governor Inslee ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Popular ,
Public Schools ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
State Labor Laws ,
Students
Recently enacted amendments to Washington’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA) will take effect on July 28, 2019. The Washington legislature passed the EPOA in March 2018, expanding Washington’s gender pay equity law for...more
7/24/2019
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Governor Inslee ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
New Legislation ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Gap ,
Salary/Wage History ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour