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Committee hears bill to add military spouses to Washington anti-discrimination law
Summary
A House bill to add military spouses to the Washington Law Against Discrimination drew testimony from the bill sponsor, military spouses and veterans groups who said it would address hiring barriers; business groups sought clarification on how the change would interact with the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act.
House Bill 1335 would add military spouses to the list of protected classes under the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD), a staff member told the House Labor & Workplace Standards Committee during a Jan. 28 public hearing.
The bill’s prime sponsor, Representative Addison Richards, told the committee the change is “a narrow fix” to extend protections already afforded to veterans and active duty service members to spouses who seek employment. “Their spouse is the pillar of their family and is a large part of what keeps their family together,” Richards said.
The bill would make it an unfair practice for an employer, labor union or employment agency to discriminate against someone because they are a military spouse; the Human Rights Commission enforces WLAD, staff said. Tammy Peralta of the Department of Defense told the committee Washington has among the highest military populations in the country and that about 23,000 active-duty military spouses — plus roughly 1,000 spouses of reserve and National Guard members — could be affected. Peralta said the department and other states, including Virginia, Maryland and New Mexico, have enacted similar protections.
Several military spouses testified about job barriers and underemployment. Valerie Vascones said she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2022 but faced underemployment after becoming a military spouse and that employers sometimes assume spouses are unreliable because of moves. “This bill is just one step closer to a work culture that sees military spouses not as a poor long term investment, but as a competent and adaptable workforce,” Vascones said. She and other testifiers said nearly half of military spouses hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Business groups registered concerns about how adding military spouses to WLAD might interact with the state’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA). Rose Gunderson of the Washington Retail Association asked whether adding the protected class to WLAD would “automatically add that same category into EPOA’s protected class,” citing litigation risk and enforcement costs for employers.
Committee staff said they would follow up with clarification about the statutory interaction. No committee action or vote was taken during the hearing; the committee closed public testimony at the end of the panel.
Why it matters: supporters said the change would reduce employment barriers for military families in communities that host service members, such as the 26th Legislative District around Gig Harbor and Bremerton. Business groups cautioned lawmakers to clarify statutory interactions and enforcement mechanics before the protection is extended.
What’s next: The bill received public testimony and the committee did not take a final vote during the Jan. 28 hearing.
