State Director Patrick Connor reports from Olympia on the small-business agenda for the legislative week ending April 8

• HB 1589, limiting future expansion of natural gas lines, is still in Senate Rules awaiting scheduling for a floor vote. NFIB opposes the bill.

• HB 1357, modernizing prior authorization processes, has been placed on the Senate 2nd reading calendar, and could be sent to the floor for a vote at any time. NFIB supports the bill.

• HB 1068, allowing independent medical exams to be videotaped, was amended and passed the Senate, 31-16. The latest iteration of this bill would require IME doctors to be notified in advance that a worker intends to record the examination. It also prohibits workers from editing or posting the examination video online. NFIB opposes the bill.

• HB 1106, expanding unemployment insurance benefits for workers voluntarily quitting due to shift changes impacting child- or elder-care, or to care for their own or a family member’s health condition, also passed the Senate this week. Amendments socializing the cost of these benefits and requiring a five-year look-back review were approved. NFIB opposes the bill.

• HB 1197, allowing psychologists to be attending providers for workers’ compensation PTSD claims by first responders, is still in Senate Rules pending further action. NFIB opposes the bill.

• HB 1217, establishing a 12% annual interest penalty for wage complaints and forming a workgroup to study how other states handle wage claims, is still on the 2nd Reading Calendar where it is eligible to be sent to the floor for a vote. NFIB opposes the bill.

• HB 1320, authorizing workers to sue over personnel file disputes, died in the Senate Ways & Means Committee. We expect similar legislation to be introduced and considered next year. NFIB opposes the bill.

• HB 1491, limiting jobsite searches of workers’ private vehicles, has been placed on the 2nd reading calendar by the Senate Rules Committee. NFIB supports the bill.

• SB 5110, authorizing workers to sue employers for various alleged workplace violations, is still in the House Rules Committee awaiting further action. NFIB opposes the bill.

• SB 5217, ergonomics, passed the House in the dead of night. NFIB opposes the bill.

• SB 5454, making PTSD a presumptive illness for nurses under the state’s workers’ compensation system, passed the House on what may appear at first blush to be a party-line vote. However, four Republicans and four Democrats crossed party lines on final passage. Republican Reps. Peter Abbarno, Bruce Chandler, Carolyn Eslick, and Sam Low voted for the bill, while Democrat Rep. Deb Entemann, Larry Springer, My-Linh Thai, and Amy Walen sided with small business and voted no. NFIB opposes expanding presumptive determinations in workers’ comp claims.

• HB 1534, the homeowner recovery fund and contractor bond increase, passed Senate Ways & Means and was sent to Senate Rules for further action. NFIB supports the bill.

• HB 1742, business licensing and unclaimed property penalty waivers, also won approval from Senate Ways & Means and was sent to Senate Rules. NFIB supports the bill.

• March 31—Legislators Turn Back to Budget Matters in Final Month of Session

• March 24—Two Bills Giving More Reasons to Sue Employers Await Executive Action

• March 17—12% Annual Interest Penalty for Wage Complaints

• March 10—Passing of Legislative Deadline Narrows Number of Bills

• March 4—Right to Repair Passes the House, 58-38

• March 1—Special Member Ballot: Keep the B&O Tax or Replace it with a Margins Tax?

• February 24—NFIB Fighting Big Business over the Right to Repair

• February 17—First Legislative Deadline of the Session Passes

• February 10—Should a Margins Tax Replace State’s B&O?

• February 3—NFIB Testifies Against Bill on Wage Claim Violations

• January 27—Right to Repair Bills Introduced in House and Senate

• January 20—NFIB, Trial Bar Negotiating Workplace Fairness Bill

• January 13—Washington State Legislature Begins 2023 Session

• January 7—Small Business Day in Olympia, March 16