January 25, 2025
Small business owners urged to “sign in” on upcoming legislation
State Director Patrick Connor reports from Olympia for the legislative and political week ending January 24.
We kicked off Week 2 of the 2025 session of the Washington State Legislature submitting written testimony to the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee opposing SB 5062, its version of the Childcare Standards Board. NFIB testified in opposition to the House version last week.
We also suggested changes to SB 5217, which intends to make the state’s pregnancy accommodation law apply to all businesses, regardless of size. Currently, firms with fewer than 15 employees are exempt. NFIB requested a delay in the implementation date until January 1, 2026, if the bill is enacted, to allow agencies time to notify and educate small businesses about the change. We also suggested that enforcement responsibility be moved to the state Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), which already has primary responsibility for notifying and educating businesses about the law. The attorney general is currently charged with enforcing the pregnancy accommodation law.
NFIB testified before the Senate Labor Committee again the following day, this time opposing granting unemployment insurance (UI) benefits to striking workers. Our testimony focused on the near certainty that uninvolved small businesses far from the strike would see their UI taxes increase due to the social tax component of the UI system.
Continuing a trend, Wednesday morning we testified in House Labor against HB 1308, the latest effort to allow workers to sue employers over delay or failure to provide personnel files within 21 days of a request. As we have for the past few years, NFIB again explained the need for a low- or no-cost administrative remedy for workers unable to obtain a copy of their personnel records — without being forced to sue. NFIB provided amendment language that would authorize L&I to resolve these disputes.
Legislators have continued to introduce new bills since session began. NFIB is now tracking 75 that could impact small businesses if enacted.
New This Week
Below are upcoming committee hearings so you can see which bills we plan to address. We are also providing links for small business owners to “sign in” support of NFIB’s position on priority legislation. You are welcome to testify remotely, if you like. More and more we are seeing hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people participating in the committee sign-in process. We don’t want small business to be left behind when labor and others stack the hearings with their members.
Priority Bills — PLEASE SIGN-IN
Sign-ins must be completed at least the day before the scheduled hearing. You will be required to enter your name and contact information. Listing your company (“organization”) name is optional. Click the bill link below. Select “I would like my position noted for the record,” then complete the form. You must complete this process separately for each bill.
— Labor & Commerce (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 1/28 @ 10:30 a.m. SB 5408 – Public Hearing– Allowing for corrections to wage and salary disclosures. (PRO)
NFIB supports the bill because unscrupulous trial attorneys are farming class action lawsuits against Washington employers for alleged errors in job postings “scooped” by websites like Indeed. So far, more than $500 million in “damages” are being claimed, including by out-of-state applicants with no intention to move to WA or accept the job, as well as applicants who are unqualified, unavailable, and do not complete an application.
— Health Care & Wellness (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 1/28 @ 1:30 p.m. HB 1382 – Public Hearing– Modernizing the all-payers claim database. (PRO)
The bill would conform our state law to federal regulations issued by the Trump Administration in 2019. Health insurers are already reporting this information, but state law blocks disclosure of certain claims cost data through the APCD due to outdated language that has sorely limited the effectiveness of the program. Consumers deserve better information about medical costs in advance of choosing health plans and providers.
— Health Care & Wellness (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 1/29 @ 1:30 p.m. HB 1430 – Public Hearing– Concerning advanced practice registered nurse and physician assistant reimbursement. (CON)
The bill would require insurers to pay ARNPs and PAs the same amount as doctors. This would result in tremendously higher costs for medical visits that would be passed along to you through higher health insurance premiums, copayments, and other out-of-pocket costs.
— Labor & Commerce (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 1/31 @ 8:00 a.m. SB 5043 – Public Hearing– Concerning industrial insurance coverage for posttraumatic stress disorders affecting correctional facility workers. (CON)
Workers’ comp PTSD claims are only allowed for certain professions, primarily first responders. These claims are hugely expensive — an average of $650,000 per claim, more than $1 million if the claim goes to pension — and 20% become pensions, compared to just 5% for the rest of the State Fund. You are effectively subsiding these claims beginning this year. L&I cut a 30% rate hike for these workers in half, pulling from reserves to underwrite the cost. You and your employees paid into that reserve. Adding hundreds more claims into a broken system is a recipe for financial disaster, and a tremendous disservice to workers who deserve far better treatment well before their situations become so severe that they can no longer work.
— Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans (House) – HHR C and Virtual JLOB – 1/31 @ 10:30 a.m. HB 1483 – Public Hearing – Right to repair digital electronics. (PRO)
Nearly two-thirds of NFIB members support Right to Repair for digital devices. We’ve been working with Google, Microsoft, and others on this bill. Apple remains the only hold-out, despite having supported nearly identical bills in Oregon and California. Why do residents of those states deserve to choose who repairs and services their devices, but you don’t?
Prior Weekly Reports
January 18: Washington State Legislature Begins 2025 Session
NFIB is a member-driven organization advocating on behalf of small and independent businesses nationwide.
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