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Hospitals, unions back bill to allow voluntary waivers and updated timing for meal and rest periods in long shifts
Summary
HB 18 79 would create a written waiver process allowing certain hospital employees to voluntarily waive meal/timing requirements and update timing rules to reflect common 12‑hour shifts; sponsors said language is consensus among hospitals, unions and L&I with a small technical amendment requested by L&I.
The committee heard House Bill 18 79, which proposes a voluntary, written waiver process for certain hospital workers to waive a meal period or the timing requirements for meal and rest periods, and updates timing rules that were written around 8‑hour shifts to better accommodate 12‑hour hospital shifts.
Kelly Leonard, staff to the committee, summarized existing law: certain hospital employees engaged in direct patient care have specialized meal and rest‑period requirements and hospitals must report missed meal/rest periods quarterly to L&I; beginning in 2026 or 2028 (depending on hospital size), penalties can be imposed if employers are less than 80% compliant.
Sponsor Representative Brianna Thomas described HB 18 79 as a consensus bill negotiated by hospitals, labor and other stakeholders during implementation of the Washington Safe and Healthy hospital staffing law. "The parties have agreed to this fix in the bill before you that allows for those workers to take breaks or waive them as they find appropriate to stay well rested and provide excellent care," Thomas said.
Union witnesses Lindsay Grad of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and Ashlyn Strong of the Washington State Hospital Association testified they had worked together on language that updates the meal timing window to reflect 12‑hour shifts and that L&I had requested a small clarifying amendment for implementation; both labor and hospital representatives urged support for the bill as a negotiated fix to implementation issues.
The committee recorded no vote; sponsors and stakeholders characterized the bill as a consensus technical change to align law and regulation with contemporary hospital shift patterns and implementation experience.
