Committee advances ordinance to unify King County protected classes, add caregiver, military and immigration status

The Government Accountability and Oversight Committee voted 3-0 to send proposed ordinance 2025-0018, as amended, to the full King County Council with a recommendation after approving both a striking amendment and a title amendment. The ordinance would add status as a family caregiver and military status (including certain veteran protections) to the county code, incorporate citizenship and immigration status into the protected-classes definition, and create a single cross-referenceable definition of protected classes in King County Code chapter 3.12.d.

Why it matters: Advocates and county staff told the committee the changes would reduce inconsistencies between the county charter, state law and King County Code and help civil-rights investigators enforce protections consistently across programs such as housing, employment and county contracting.

Council policy staff Olivia Vrahi briefed the committee, saying the ordinance “would add two protected classes throughout the anti-discrimination related text in King County, including status as a family caregiver and military status.” Vrahi also described the striking amendment S1 as creating “a…