Washington committee hears bill to void most noncompete agreements statewide

House lawmakers on the Labor & Workplace Standards Committee opened a hearing on House Bill 1155, a measure led by Committee Chair Rep. Liz Berry that would make most noncompetition agreements unenforceable in Washington regardless of when they were signed.

The bill would expand the statutory definition of noncompetes, remove the existing salary thresholds used to determine enforceability, and bar employers from enforcing or threatening to enforce those agreements. It would also require employers to provide current and former employees and independent contractors a written notice that a noncompete is void by Oct. 1, 2025, under the bill’s timeline reported to the committee.

The committee received legal and personal testimony in support. Kelly Leonard, counsel to the committee, summarized existing Washington law in her staff briefing, saying current…