Labor & Workplace Standards Committee reports seven bills out of committee; votes largely 6–3 or unanimous

The Labor & Workplace Standards Committee on Feb. 19, 2025, reported seven bills out of committee with due-pass recommendations after debate and amendment.

The package included measures on electrical apprenticeship rules, limits on employer use of electronic monitoring and automated decision systems, revisions to background-check and hiring rules, changes to workers' compensation benefit calculations, prevailing-wage record access, paid sick leave for immigration proceedings, and rules easing minor participation in certain training programs. Committee members debated amendments and several final votes were 6–3; two measures passed unanimously or near-unanimously.

Why it matters: the bills affect employers’ and workers’ rights and employer reporting obligations across apprenticeship programs, privacy and surveillance at work, compensation for injured workers, enforcement of prevailing-wage law, leave rights tied to immigration proceedings, and youth access to training and entry-level work. Several items include implementation details that could affect small employers and state agencies that administer benefits and enforcement.

Key outcomes and highlights

House Bill 15-33 (specialty electricians and apprenticeship programs) - What it does: The committee advanced a proposed substitute that lets an employer — rather than the apprentice — use an apprentice’s specialty certificate of competency to perform specialty electrical work while the apprentice remains enrolled in a general journey-level apprenticeship program, subject to conditions including attestations of hours and notice requirements. An adopted amendment (Leon 9-17) requires employers to provide apprentices at least 800 working hours per year that count toward apprenticeship-hour requirements for one exemption in the program standard. - Discussion: Ranking Member Representative Julie Schmidt (Ranking Member Schmidt) described the bill as “something that I've worked on for three years” to help small rural employers and apprentices left out by a 2019 change in law, and said stakeholders and the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) negotiated language to address concerns. - Committee action: The substitute was reported out with a due pass recommendation. Staff announced: “there are 9 ayes, 0 nays, and 0 excused.”

House Bill 16-72 (limits on employer electronic monitoring and automated decision systems) - What it does: The bill places limits on employer use of electronic monitoring and automated decision systems. An amendment (MCCB 025) narrowed the definition of “employer” to remove state entities and municipal/quasi-municipal corporations from the bill’s coverage and clarified prohibited uses of monitoring, including surveillance of off-duty workers and identifying workers exercising legal rights. - Discussion: Sponsor Representative Barry (via amendment sponsor) framed the amendment as removing public employees from the bill while clarifying prohibited monitoring. Representative McIntyre expressed concern about omitting public entities and the fairness of the carveout but acknowledged the amendment resolved specific security concerns for schools. - Committee action: The amendment was adopted and the substitute was reported out with a due pass recommendation by roll call (6 ayes, 3 nays). Recorded roll-call votes: Berry (aye); Fosse (aye); Scott (aye); Schmidt (nay); Ybarra (nay); Bernofsky (aye); McIntyre (nay); Opress (aye); Ortiz Self (aye).

House Bill 17-47 (hiring and background checks; AG notification amendment proposed) - What it does: The bill was advanced with a remaining amendment (Morey 118) considered and then not adopted. Ranking Member Schmidt moved an amendment requesting that the attorney general mail information to employers and offer consultation services to help employers comply with the act; that amendment was rejected on a 6–3 vote. - Discussion: Representative Schmidt argued the attorney general’s notice and consultation would help employers without HR staff understand compliance; proponents of a no vote cited administrative and fiscal concerns for the attorney general’s office. - Committee action: The underlying bill was reported out with a due pass recommendation by roll call (6 ayes, 3 nays). Recorded roll-call votes: Berry (aye); Fosse (aye); Scott (aye); Schmidt (nay); Ybarra (nay); Bernofsky (aye); McIntyre (nay); Opress (aye); Ortiz Self (aye).

House Bill 17-88 (Workers' Compensation Act amendments: dependent payments, healthcare benefit portion) - What it does: The bill amends the Workers' Compensation Act to (1) allocate a share of employer-paid healthcare contributions in certain payments to injured workers, (2) standardize compensation rates between married and unmarried workers with dependents, and (3) codify a 2% payment to individuals with legal custody over a worker’s child. Two amendments were considered: MCCB 023 (adopted) narrowed the application to injuries/disease manifesting on or after the act’s effective date and set a cap for family-size tiers; MCCB 017 (not adopted) would have prohibited attorney fees from being taken from the healthcare-benefit portion. - Discussion: Ranking Member Schmidt supported changes to dependency calculations but pressed on the healthcare-benefit distribution and whether attorneys could recover fees from that portion. Sponsors opposed removing fee recovery, citing Title 51 fee rules and access to counsel for injured workers. - Committee action: After adopting MCCB 023 and rejecting MCCB 017, the substitute was reported out with a due pass recommendation by roll call (6 ayes, 3 nays). Recorded roll-call votes: Berry (aye); Fosse (aye); Scott (aye); Schmidt (nay); Ybarra (nay); Bernofsky (aye); McIntyre (nay); Opress (aye); Ortiz Self (aye).

House Bill 18-21 (prevailing wage: access to certified payroll records) - What it does: The bill expands the definition of “interested party” for prevailing-wage enforcement to provide access to certified payroll records to entities such as joint labor-management cooperation committees. Adopted amendments clarified that L&I discloses employer certified payroll (not individual employee records) and removed a requirement that records be unredacted except for Social Security numbers; another adopted amendment restricts use of payroll records by a joint labor-management committee to filing prevailing-wage complaints and prohibits other uses (union organizing or commercial activity). - Discussion: Supporters said the change aids wage-theft enforcement. Opponents raised privacy and information-handling concerns and said L&I already enforces prevailing-wage compliance. - Committee action: The bill, with adopted amendments, was reported out with a due pass recommendation by roll call (6 ayes, 3 nays). Recorded roll-call votes: Berry (aye); Fosse (aye); Scott (aye); Schmidt (nay); Ybarra (nay); Bernofsky (aye); McIntyre (nay); Opress (aye); Ortiz Self (aye).

House Bill 18-75 (paid sick leave: leave to prepare for or attend immigration proceedings) - What it does: The bill allows employees, including transportation network drivers, to use paid sick leave for immigration judicial or administrative proceedings. An adopted amendment (MCCB 022) removed certain types of documentation as acceptable verification and prohibited a worker (or someone writing on the worker’s behalf) from disclosing personally identifiable information about the worker’s immigration status or family members. - Discussion: Supporters framed the bill as protection for immigrant workers facing federal immigration actions; opponents said expanding paid-sick-leave purposes can dilute the benefit’s original purpose and raised concerns about policy scope. - Committee action: The substitute with the adopted amendment was reported out with a due pass recommendation by roll call (6 ayes, 3 nays). Recorded roll-call votes: Berry (aye); Fosse (aye); Scott (aye); Schmidt (nay); Ybarra (nay); Bernofsky (aye); McIntyre (nay); Opress (aye); Ortiz Self (aye).

House Bill 17-22 (minor participation in training programs and occupations) - What it does: The bill requires the Department of Health, the State Fire Marshal, and L&I to take steps to make it easier for minors to participate in certain training programs and occupations. No amendments were adopted. - Discussion: Sponsors said the bill helps career and technical education students gain work experience and is intended to smooth transitions to careers after high school. - Committee action: The bill was reported out with a due pass recommendation. Staff announced: “there are 9 ayes, 0 nays, and 0 excused.”

Next steps and implementation notes - Each bill reported out will move to the next legislative stage for floor consideration. Several bills include new notice, reporting, or implementation obligations for state agencies (for example, L&I, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Department of Health) and for employers. Committee members repeatedly noted potential fiscal or administrative burdens for agencies asked to provide outreach or verification services; a few members asked that sponsors continue stakeholder work before floor action.

Quoted from the committee - "This bill was something that I've worked on for three years… to help a few of the electricians that were left behind in a bill that was passed in 2019," Ranking Member Schmidt said of HB 15-33. - "It's an important policy to address some emerging technology issues," Representative Fosse said in support of HB 16-72 after amendment debate. - "We want to make sure that somebody doesn't have to provide documentation that betrays what their immigration status might be," Vice Chair Scott said while urging adoption of an amendment to HB 18-75.

Meeting context - Engagement: The committee spent roughly an hour and a half in staff briefing and then reconvened to move and vote on bills; most roll-call votes were 6–3, with two items passing 9–0. - Implementation risk: Several items depend on administrative capacity at state agencies (L&I, Attorney General, Department of Health) and could require rulemaking, guidance, or fiscal resources.

Votes at a glance (final committee outcomes) - HB 15-33 (specialty electricians/apprenticeship substitute, with Leon 9-17 amendment): Reported out, due pass (9–0 announced). - HB 16-72 (electronic monitoring limits; MCCB 025 adopted): Reported out, due pass (6–3 roll call). - HB 17-47 (hiring/background rules; Morey 118 not adopted): Reported out, due pass (6–3 roll call). - HB 17-88 (Workers' Compensation Act changes; MCCB 023 adopted; MCCB 017 not adopted): Reported out, due pass (6–3 roll call). - HB 18-21 (prevailing wage payroll access; Maury 123 & 122 adopted): Reported out, due pass (6–3 roll call). - HB 18-75 (paid sick leave for immigration proceedings; MCCB 022 adopted): Reported out, due pass (6–3 roll call). - HB 17-22 (minor training/occupation access): Reported out, due pass (9–0 announced).

Staff/committee adjourned after action on the seven bills; the chair said the committee is finished with business for cutoff and will not meet Friday.