Governor signs a package of bills expanding 'fair chance' hiring, homelessness funding and education protections

The governor opened a bill-signing event by acknowledging the unexpected death of Senator Bill Ramos and asked attendees to reflect on his public service.

Following that condolence, the governor signed a package of House bills addressing employment background checks, homelessness funding, public-health standards, education and other areas. "I am honored to sign this legislation into law," the governor said repeatedly as sponsors joined on stage for photographs.

Key bills signed included House Bill 1747, which expands the Washington Fair Chance Act by requiring employers complete criminal-background checks only after extending a conditional offer of employment, intended to ensure candidates are considered on qualifications first. The governor thanked Representative Lillian Ortiz-Self, the bill's prime sponsor, and Senator Rebecca Saldaña, sponsor of the companion measure.

The governor also signed House Bill 1260, clarifying how document-recording fees for housing services are shared between counties and cities so municipalities that run homelessness programs receive a fair share of revenue. The measure, sponsored by Representative Suzanne Schmidt, was described as providing clarity to avoid conflicts between local governments.

In a separate funding-related move, the governor signed House Bill 1858, which removes fee exemptions for several recorded documents to increase revenue for homeless and affordable housing programs. The transcript gives an estimate that the change is expected to generate about $60,000,000 per biennium for state programs and an additional $15,000,000 for local jurisdictions; the governor thanked Representative Sean Scott for his leadership on the bill.

Other bills signed covered a broad range of policy goals: House Bill 1321 clarifies that National Guard forces from other states cannot enter Washington without the governor’s permission while preserving mutual-aid disaster responses; House Bill 1028 updates definitions for children's advocacy centers and child forensic interviews; House Bill 1201 requires local jurisdictions to include pet-sheltering options in emergency plans; and House Bill 1121 expands work-hour opportunities for 16- and 17-year-olds enrolled in career and technical education programs.

The governor also signed bills affecting public-works permitting and procurement, prevailing-wage enforcement, confidentiality protections for physician wellbeing programs, added student representation on the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, and various industry-specific updates such as a research program on shellfish burrowing shrimp and modernization of horse-racing rules.

Where sponsors or companion sponsors could not attend, the governor arranged to send pens and copies of the signed bills to them. Multiple representatives and senators joined the ceremony for photographs; the governor repeatedly emphasized appreciation for advocates, students and agency staff who worked on the measures.

The event concluded with the governor arranging delivery of signature pens for absent sponsors and group photographs. No formal roll-call votes or amendments were recorded at the signing ceremony itself — the transcript records the governor signing bills presented and thanking sponsors and stakeholders.

What happens next: Each bill will become law according to its statutory effective date; the transcript and ceremony record the governor's signature and sponsor attribution but do not specify implementation timelines beyond the statutory processes for each bill.