Following are
SOME of the key bills being monitored by the Washington State Labor
Council, and their status. There are additional bills that the WSLC
supports and opposes. If your affiliated union would like to add a bill of
particular concern to this Legislative Tracker™, please
contact us. Links on the bill numbers are to the State Legislature's
web site for more information on each bill. For details on
these bills, also see our WSLC Legislative Updates.
Bills listed in WHITE
(white) are still alive.
Bills
listed in GRAY are dead, having missed a legislative cutoff
deadline. REMEMBER, in Olympia, dead is relative.
Bills can become budget provisos and can be resurrected by
other procedural means.
Bills listed GREEN have
passed and been signed by the governor.
The Regular Session ended March 8. Gov. Chris Gregoire has called a Special Session of up to 30 days, beginning Monday, March 12. The governor and the four leaders of both parties in both houses have agreed to confine special section action to a handful of issues, including the supplemental operating budget and a supplemental capital budget issuing bonds to frontload construction projects -- known as the Infrastructure Jobs Bond.
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Some HOUSE BILLS of concern (as of Noon, March 12) |
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| BILL | SPONSOR | STATUS | LABOR'S POSITION | SUMMARY |
| HB 1258 | Condotta | Labor & Workforce Development | OPPOSE |
Allowing sub-minimum "training wages." |
| HB 1433 | Short | Labor & Workforce Development | OPPOSE |
Limiting the time for filing a prevailing wage complaint. |
| HB 1532 | Condotta | Labor & Workforce Development | OPPOSE |
Creating "good faith" defense for failure to pay minimum wage and overtime pay. (Companion, SB 5840, missed cutoff in committee.) |
| SHB 1554 | Kenney | Ways & Means | SUPPORT |
Motion picture competitiveness. (Companion bill, SB 5539.) |
| HB 1631 | Reykdal | 3rd Reading | SUPPORT |
Providing for academic employee salary increments for community and technical colleges. |
| SHB 1832 | Upthegrove | Amended, 2nd Reading | SUPPORT |
Preserving SeaTac Airport concessions employees' rights under successor contractors. Learn more. |
| EHB 2011 | Sells | 3rd Reading | SUPPORT |
Enhancing Corrections' workers' safety through collective bargaining and binding interest arbitration. |
| HB 2168 | Dunshee | Now in House Rules; this bill remains in play in the special session | SUPPORT |
The supplemental capital budget. This is one of three bills that are part of what is known as the Infrastructure Jobs Bond. Also see HB 2793. Learn more. |
| HB 2207 | Springer | Labor & Workforce Development | OPPOSE |
Granting retrospective rating employers more authority over injured workers. |
| SHB 2319 | Cody | Passed House 52-43; passed Senate 27-22; House concurs 55-41; delivered to governor | SUPPORT |
Implementing the Affordable Care Act. Learn more. (Companion bill, SB 6178) |
| Walsh | Passed House 92-3; passed Senate 45-3; House concurs 92-3; delivered to governor | SUPPORT |
Removing requirement that correctional officers' uniforms by purchased from Correctional Industries. (Supported by Teamsters union.) |
|
| HB 2349 | Kretz | Passed House 96-0; passed Senate 49-0; House concurs 96-1; delivered to governor | NEUTRAL |
Concerning the management of beavers. |
| SHB 2359 | Reykdal | 2nd Reading | SUPPORT |
Addressing the workers' compensation medical provider network. |
| HB 2368 | Seaquist | Passed House 54-43; died in Senate Higher Education (Chairman Sen. Rodney Tom refused to allow a hearing) | SUPPORT |
Labor member on community college boards. Learn more. |
| SHB 2395 | Sells | Passed 52-43; passed Senate Labor & Commerce; now in Rules | SUPPORT |
Regulating drayage truck operators. (Companion bill, SB 6461, missed committee cutoff.) |
| SHB 2407 | Roberts | Passed 53-39; passed Senate Labor & Commerce; now in Rules | SUPPORT |
Restricting use of information related to structured settlement agreements. |
| HB 2408 | Johnson | Agriculture & Natural Resources | OPPOSE |
Concerning options for addressing seasonal shortages of labor in agriculture. |
| HB 2412 | Kenney | 2nd Reading | SUPPORT |
Protections for employees under WISHA. |
| 2SHB 2413 | Reykdal | Rules 2 | SUPPORT |
Protecting people from pesticide drift. Learn more. (Companion bill, SB 6397, missed committee cutoff.) |
| SHB 2431 | Reykdal | 2nd Reading | SUPPORT |
Addressing claim files and compensation under the industrial insurance laws. (Companion bill, SB 6302.) |
| HB 2434 | Hasegawa | Business & Financial Services | SUPPORT |
Creating Washington Investment Trust. |
| HB 2490 | Carlyle | Ways & Means | OPPOSE |
"Simplification" for state and local tax licensing. (Companion bill, SB 6176.) |
| HB 2496 | Condotta | Labor & Workforce Development | OPPOSE |
Establishing lower inflationary adjustments to the minimum wage. |
| HB 2497 | Condotta | Labor & Workforce Development | OPPOSE |
Legalizing tip penalties, or sub-minimum wages for workers who earn tips. |
| HB 2498 | Condotta | Labor & Workforce Development | OPPOSE |
Suspending minimum wage increases during periods of high unemployment. |
| 2SHB 2501 | Green | Passed 57-41; passed Senate Labor & Commerce; now in Rules | SUPPORT |
Placing restrictions on mandatory overtime for employees of health care facilities. Learn more. |
| HB 2508 | Dickerson | Labor & Workforce Development | SUPPORT |
Establishing minimum standards for sick and safe leave from employment. |
| HB 2527 | Eddy | 2nd Reading | SUPPORT |
Improving safety of chassis on trucks. (Companion bill, SB 6487, missed cutoff in committee.) |
| HB 2530 | Carlyle | 2nd Reading | SUPPORT |
Improving accountability of tax preferences. |
| HB 2553 | Moscoso | Passed 54-42; failed to pass out of Senate Transportation | SUPPORT |
Clarifying rights on non-voting members of transit boards. |
| SHB 2568 | Kenney | 2nd Reading | SUPPORT |
Maintaining voluntary use of electronic employment verification systems. |
| SHB 2622 | Kenney | Rules 2 | SUPPORT |
Requiring medical claims to be addressed by communicating with workers in their primary language. |
| HB 2673 | Clibborn | Passed 56-40; passed Senate 40-9; House concurs 70-26; delivered to governor | SUPPORT |
Transportation workforce development/ apprenticeship. |
| HB 2724 | Eddy | Ways & Means | OPPOSE |
Consolidating school health care plans. (Companion bill, SB 6442.) Learn more. |
| EHB 2771 | Pettigrew | Passed House 83-14; passed Senate 38-10; House concurs 91-5; delivered to governor | OPPOSE |
Excluding from PERS all employees of any contractor to any government agency, and in the process, facilitating contracting out of local government jobs. |
| HB 2792 | Dunshee | Now in House Rules | SUPPORT |
This is one of the bills considered part of the Infrastructure Jobs Bond. Learn more. |
| HB 2793 | Dunshee | Now in House Rules | SUPPORT |
This is one of the bills that are part of what is known as the Infrastructure Jobs Bond. Also see HB 2168 (the supplemental capital budget). Learn more. |
|
Some SENATE BILLS of concern (as of Noon, March 12) |
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| BILL | SPONSOR | STATUS | LABOR'S POSITION | SUMMARY |
| 2SSB 5539 | Kohl-Welles | SUPPORT | Motion picture competitiveness. (Companion bill, HB 1554.) Learn more. | |
| SB 5857 | Kohl-Welles |
Ways & Means |
SUPPORT | Concerning tax expenditure reform to provide transparency and accountability. |
| SB 5968 | Stevens |
Labor, Commerce & Consumer Protection |
OPPOSE | Ending inflationary adjustments and establishing a fixed minimum wage. |
| SB 6088 | Pridemore |
Passed 45-3; now in House Ways & Means |
SUPPORT | Requiring that new tax preferences provide an expiration date and statement of legislative intent. |
| SB 6133 | Conway | SUPPORT | Requiring training for eligibility for certain electrician certifications. (Companion bill, HB 2358, missed cutoff in committee.) | |
| SB 6134 | Delvin |
Passed 48-0; passed House 96-0; delivered to governor |
SUPPORT |
Allows quicker transfer of Department of Fish & Wildlife officers' PERS 2/3 benefits to LEOFF. (Supported by Teamsters union.) |
| SB 6176 | Kilmer |
Ways & Means |
OPPOSE | "Simplification" for state and local tax licensing. (Companion bill, HB 2490.) |
| SSB 6178 | Keiser |
2nd Reading |
SUPPORT | Implementing the Affordable Care Act. (Companion bill, HB 2319.) Learn more. |
| SSB 6228 | Keiser |
2nd Reading |
SUPPORT | Prohibiting certain practices concerning the employment status of job applicants. |
| SSB 6302 | Kohl-Welles |
2nd Reading |
SUPPORT | Addressing claim files and compensation under the industrial insurance laws. (Companion bill, HB 2431.) |
| SSB 6307 | Prentice |
Ways & Means |
SUPPORT | Concerning nursing staffing practices at hospitals. (Companion bill, HB 2519, also missed cutoff in committee.) Learn more. |
| SSB 6309 | Prentice |
Ways & Means |
SUPPORT | Requiring meals and rest breaks for certain health care workers. Learn more. |
| SB 6310 | Keiser |
Financial Institutions and Housing & Insurance |
SUPPORT | Creating the Washington Investment Trust. |
| SB 6402 | Tom |
Higher Education & Workforce Development |
OPPOSE | Eliminating the workforce training and education coordinating board. |
| SB 6419 | King |
Labor, Commerce & Consumer Protection |
OPPOSE | "Determining" prevailing wage rates on public works projects (so they're lower). |
| SB 6420 | King |
Labor, Commerce & Consumer Protection |
OPPOSE | "Addressing" prevailing wage rates on public works projects (so they're lower). |
| SB 6421 | King |
Passed Senate 47-0; passed House 98-0; delivered to governor |
OPPOSE | Addressing the affidavit of wages paid on public works. |
| SB 6422 | King |
Labor, Commerce & Consumer Protection |
OPPOSE | Again "addressing" prevailing wage rates on public works projects (so they're lower). |
| SB 6442 | Hobbs |
Ways & Means |
OPPOSE | Consolidating school health care plans. (Companion bill, HB 2724.) Learn more. |
| SB 6480 | King |
2nd Reading |
OPPOSE | Protecting employers who pay prevailing wage rates on public works projects. |
| SB 6486 | Kohl-Welles | SUPPORT | Collective bargaining rights for postdoctoral researchers at certain state universities. (Companion bill, HB 2681, missed cutoff in committee.) | |