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Committee backs clarifying changes to state WARN requirements and employee privacy
Summary
SB 6,106 would exclude Indian tribes from the STABLE/WARN Act employer definition and add a public‑records exemption for the names and addresses of employees included in notices to the Employment Security Department; ESD and business groups supported the clarifications.
Senate Bill 6,106 would make two technical changes to Washington's state WARN (STABLE) Act: exclude Indian tribes from the statutory definition of "employer" (aligning state law with federal practice) and add a Public Records Act exemption protecting the names and addresses of employees provided to the Employment Security Department when employers submit mass‑layoff or closure notices.
Jarrett Sacks, committee staff, said the prior session enacted the STABLE Act and this bill clarifies the employer definition and adds confidentiality for personally identifiable information provided to ESD. Josh (ESD) explained current practice of posting summaries of WARN notices while redacting individual names in posted copies and said the bill would allow ESD to hold names/addresses confidentially while preserving public notice of layoffs and closures. James Crandall of the Association of Washington Business supported the public‑records clarification, calling it a fix to an unintended exposure of employee personal data.
The committee asked technical questions about the mass‑layoff definition; staff said the definition from last year's bill still applies. The hearing record showed no committee vote at this session.
