Labor & Workplace Standards Committee advances seven labor bills, including tougher child‑labor penalties and a wage‑replacement proposal

OLYMPIA — The Washington state House Labor & Workplace Standards Committee on Feb. 14 voted to report seven bills out of committee with due‑pass recommendations, advancing measures that address child labor enforcement, mass‑layoff notice and health coverage, apprenticeship requirements for public works, student‑employee collective bargaining, tip protections in hospitality, and a new wage‑replacement program.

The package, approved largely on party‑line or modestly divided votes, moves to the next stage of the legislative process for further consideration and possible amendment. Committee members said the bills aim to balance worker protections, training and employer obligations across industries from construction to higher education.

Committee action and key provisions

House Bill 1121: Allows some 16‑ and 17‑year‑old students in approved career and technical education (CTE) programs to work the same number of hours and days during the school year that they would be permitted during school vacations, and delays the bill's effective date to July 1, 2026. The committee adopted amendment Leon 9 15 to clarify the bill's language (changing “number and frequency of hours” to “number of hours and days”). Committee staff explained summer allowable total hours are 48, while the regular school‑year total is 20 (28 with a variance).

House Bill 1313 (proposed substitute): Requires notice before an employer conducts a mass layoff, relocation or termination and directs the Employment Security Department (ESD) to study mass layoffs. The proposed substitute broadened the employer definition to include entities operating facilities with 100 or more employees, added…