The South Kitsap Chamber of Commerce believes in keeping our members informed on important legislative issues that face local businesses. Navigating the governmental landscape can be very complicated and time-consuming. The Chamber relies on many partners to help us keep our membership educated.

Our goal is to provide our members with information and resources to make informed decisions that are happening on a Federal, State, and local level. Below are some of the bills we are currently tracking along with the write-ups provided by our advocacy partners.

Washington State 2023 Legislative Session Bill watch list and links

Bill #	Abbrev. Title	Short Description	Additional Details	Status	Source/Position
HB 1011	Long-term care/repeal	Repealing the long-term services and supports trust program.		H HC/Wellness	AWB
HB 1013	Regional apprenticeship prgs	Establishing regional apprenticeship programs.		H Education	AWB
HB 1018 (SB 5030)	Hog fuel/tax exemption	Changing the expiration date for the sales and use tax exemption of hog fuel to comply with the 2045 deadline for fossil fuel-free electrical generation in Washington state and to protect jobs with health care and retirement benefits in economically distressed communities.		H Finance	AWB- Support
HB 1024	Incarcerated persons/labor	Concerning labor and income of incarcerated persons.		H Community Safe	AWB
HB 1029	Vaccine mandate reemployment	Concerning reemployment of state workers dismissed from employment due to vaccine mandates.		H Labor & Workpl	AWB
HB 1050	Apprenticeship utilization	Expanding apprenticeship utilization requirements.		H Cap Budget	AWB
HB 1051	Robocalls & telephone scams	Concerning robocalling and telephone scams.	The bill prohibits a person from initiating or assisting with a telephone solicitation or a commercial solicitation using an automatic dialing and announcing device to any: (1) telephone number with a Washington area code; (2) telephone number registered to a Washington resident; or (3) telephone number with a Washington area code or registered to a Washington resident on the do not call list. The bill would make it a violation of the Telephone Solicitation Act (TSA) and a violation of the prohibition on using an automatic dialing and announcing device to make a commercial solicitation violation of the Consumer Protection Act. It creates a private right of action. It modifies and adds definitions to the TSA, the Commercial Telephone Solicitation Regulation Act, and the automatic dialing and commercial solicitation statute. While we worked with the AGO on this bill it still raises concerns.	H ConsPro&Bus	AWB- OPPOSE
HB 1052	Nonprofit housing/tax ex.	Providing a property tax exemption for qualified real and personal property owned or used by a nonprofit entity in providing qualified housing funded in whole or part through a local real estate excise tax.		H Finance	AWB-Neutral
HB 1067	High-hazard facility wages	Concerning wages for journeypersons in high-hazard facilities.		H Labor & Workpl	AWB
HB 1068 (SB 5212)	Injured worker medical exams	Concerning injured workers’ rights during compelled medical examinations.	Like last year we see another IME bill introduced. The main problem with this bil are the provisions allowing recordings of IME. It lacks the requirement to provide unedited recordings to other parties. In addition, the IME creates an adversarial situation between doctors and claimants. The system already suffers from a lack of providers This bill only exacerbate the situation. One positive note is the restricting against legal representative being the observer.	H Labor & Workpl	AWB- OPPOSE
HB 1095 (SB 5109)	Wage replacement	Creating a wage replacement program for certain Washington workers excluded from unemployment insurance.	This bill was heard in the House Labor & Workplace Standards Committee on January 13^th. This bill raises some serious concerns for AWB. While we can appreciate the need for some safety net for some individual-employers are already paying UI premiums for all covered workers. The documentation received by employers at the time of hiring is what determines if a individual can work. If there is a determination by UI rejecting coverage because the employee is not qualified to work – the employer would now has constructive knowledge of the inability to work and therefore cannot hire them again. This would create a difficult situation for both employees and employers. If this is intended to cover those individuals who are not entitled to UI such as H2A or H2B visa hold it would be inconsistent with federal law.	H Labor & Workpl	AWB- OPPOSE
HB 1099	Public works wages	Requiring certain wages in public works contracts to be at least the prevailing wage in effect when the work is performed.	This bill would change collectively bargained wages in the middle of a project when the prevailing wage changes during a contract. It creates a system that results in higher costs for government projects. It is another example of government interfering in day to day operations of employers	H Labor & Workpl	AWB- OPPOSE
HB 1105	Public comment notice	Requiring public agencies to provide notice for public comment that includes the last date by which such public comment must be submitted.		H State Govt & T	AWB
HB 1106	Unemployment/voluntary	Concerning qualifications for unemployment insurance when an individual voluntarily leaves work.	The bill would allow individuals to get UI if they must quit to: 1. Employee must care for vulnerable adults or child and previous arrangements become unavailable; 2. A change in shift of more than 6 hours happens through no fault of the employee; 3. Employee must move to care for a minor child; 3. This bill is scheduled for executive hearing in the House Labor & Workplace Standards Committee on January 20^th. Initially, AWB has concerns with the use of UI in these circumstances. All of these claims are beyond the control of the employer. In addition, the changes proposed ignore the requirement that a person on UI must certify they are able and available to work.	H Labor & Workpl	AWB- OPPOSE
HB 1131 SB5154	Improving Washington’s solid waste management outcomes.	would enact the Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility—also known as the WRAP Act—and create a beverage container reimbursement (BCR) program. WR appreciates the sponsors’ willingness to work with stakeholders on improving the legislation. In particular, the definition of who is a producer is key to retailers’ interest in the WRAP Act.			WRA
HB 1136	Employee expenditures	Requiring employers to reimburse employees for necessary expenditures and losses.	This bill has an overly broud definition of necessary expenditures. In addition, the bill has a PRA that would result in a greater burden to small employers.	H Labor & Workpl	AWB- OPPOSE
HB 1137	Return-to-work opportunities	Creating equitable access to return-to-work opportunities in workers’ compensation.	provide broader and more equitable access to Return-to-Work programs by injured workers. Options for temporary light-duty jobs would be extended to include volunteering at approved non-profit organizations. WR enthusiastically supports this bill which would benefit the employee, employer, and community non-profits, a triple win..	H Labor & Workpl	WRA
HB 1149 (SB 5202)	Housing/capital expenditures	Reducing homelessness in Washington state through capital expenditures for programs that address housing insecurity.		H Cap Budget	AWB-Neutral
HB 1152 (SB 5171)	Consumer products/gender	Addressing consumer gender discrimination.		H ConsPro&Bus	AWB
HB 1155 (SB 5351)	Consumer health data	Addressing the collection, sharing, and selling of consumer health data.	purported to protect health data privacy relating to collecting, sharing, and selling consumer health data, which WR supports. However, WR has significant concerns about these bills as currently written because their language—especially as they define covered data—are too broadly written, will likely lead to unintended consequences, and will be difficult to comply with and enforce	H Civil R & Judi	AWB
HB 1163	Leasehold tax/arenas	Exempting certain leasehold interests in arenas with a seating capacity of more than 2,000 from the leasehold excise tax.		H Finance	AWB-Neutral
HB 1187	Employee-union privilege	Concerning privileged communication between employees and the unions that represent them.	This would apply a new privilege to private labor relations. It goes against the commitment to transparency. It impedes the employers ability to investigate complaints. The law also puts the privilege with the union and not the individual like every other defines privilege.	H Civil R & Judi	AWB- OPPOSE
HB 1191 (SB 5166)	Cooperative finance org. B&O	Reauthorizing the business and occupation tax deduction for cooperative finance organizations.		H Finance	AWB-Neutral
HB 1197 (SB 5310)	Workers’ comp. providers	Defining attending provider and clarifying other provider functions for workers’ compensation claims, and adding psychologists as attending providers for mental health only claims.		H Labor & Workpla	AWB
HB 1200 (SB 5273)	Employee information/unions	Requiring public employers to provide employee information to exclusive bargaining representatives.		H Labor & Workpla	AWB
HB 1217	Wage complaints	Concerning wage complaints.		H Labor & Workpla	AWB
HB 1227	Employer health care funding	Assessing employers for their employees’ health care costs paid by the state.		H Labor & Workpl	AWB
HB 1254		Clarifying ambiguities in statutory provisions administered by the department of revenue relating to periodic adjustments		HFinance	AWB-Oppose
HB 1265		– Establishing a property tax exemption for adult family homes that serve people with intellectual or developmental disabilities and are owned by a nonprofit		Hfinance	AWB
HB 1282 (SB 5322)	Public building materials	Requiring environmental and labor reporting for public building construction and renovation material.		H Cap Budget	AWB
HB 1286 (SB 5260)	Reprod. health/employers	Protecting and assisting Washington employers that provide access to, or benefits for, reproductive health care services.		H Labor & Workpl	AWB
HB 1303/SB 5407		– Concerning the administration of property taxes		Hfinance	AWB-Oppose
HB 1309 (SB 5088)	Contractor registration	Adding references to contractor registration and licensing laws in workers’ compensation, public works, and prevailing wage statutes.		H Labor & Workpl	AWB
HB 1320 (SB 5061)	Personnel records	Concerning access to personnel records.		H Labor & Workpl	AWB
HB 1347		Integrating community-based health assessments into foundational environmental policies to improve environmental justice.		Henv & Energy	AWB
HB 1363/SB 5353	Concerning vehicular pursuits.	will allow vehicle pursuits by law enforcement if there is reasonable suspicion to believe that a person in the vehicle has committed or is committing a crime.		Hcommunity Safe	WRA- supports
HB 1388	Rent Control	Protecting tenants by prohibiting predatory residential rent practices and by applying the consumer protection act to the residential landlord-tenant act and the manufactured/mobile home landlord-tenant act.		Hhousing	AWB
HB 1458	Apprenticeship programs/UI	Concerning unemployment insurance benefits for apprenticeship program participants.		H Labor & Workpl	AWB
HB 5407		Concerning the administration of property taxes		Sways & Means	AWB
HB1375	Alcohol to go	Concerning liquor licensee privileges for the delivery of alcohol.		Hreg Sust & Ga	WHA
HB1389	Rent Control	Concerning residential rent increases under the residential landlord-tenant act and the manufactured/mobile home landlord-tenant act.		HHousing	AWB
SB 5002	Blood Alcohol	Concerning alcohol concentration.		Stransportation	WHA
SB 5030 (HB 1018)	Hog fuel/tax exemption	Changing the expiration date for the sales and use tax exemption of hog fuel to comply with the 2045 deadline for fossil fuel-free electrical generation in Washington state and to protect jobs with health care and retirement benefits in economically distressed communities.		S Ways & Means	AWB-Support
SB 5059	Prejudgment interest	Concerning prejudgment interest.		S Law & Justice	AWB
SB 5061 (HB 1320)	Personnel records	Concerning access to personnel records.	This bill fails to recognize the reality of how records are maintained in digital age. The requirements to provide records in 14 days or less has the potential to create impossible requirements especially small business. AWB also opposes the private right of action (PRA) in the bill. This creates a system of regulation through litigation. This bill Traci heard in the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee on January 12^th. We are working with the prime sponsor to address business concerns	S Labor & Comm	AWB- OPPOSE
SB 5062	Online marketplaces	Concerning online marketplace consumer protection caused by organized retail crime.		S Environment, E	AWB
SB 5084	Self-insured pensions/fund	Creating a separate fund for the purposes of self-insured pensions and assessments.		S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5088 (HB 1309)	Contractor registration	Adding references to contractor registration and licensing laws in workers’ compensation, public works, and prevailing wage statutes.		S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5089	Factory assembled structures	Making changes to factory assembled structures, manufactured or mobile homes, commercial coaches, conversion vending units, medical units, recreational vehicles, and park trailers requirements, including adding board members to the factory assembled structures advisory committee.		2nd RdConsCal	AWB
SB 5091	Hydrogen fuel cells	Creating and expanding tax incentives for the research, development, production, and sale of hydrogen fuel cells in Washington state.		S Business, Fin	AWB-Support
SB 5109 (HB 1095)	Wage replacement	Creating a wage replacement program for certain Washington workers excluded from unemployment insurance.		S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5110	Labor practices/penalties	Adding penalties for certain prohibited practices in chapter 49.44 RCW.	. This bill creates a private right of action (PRA) for all actions under 49.44 RCW. While this bill does not use the term Qui Tam- it reads like a Qui Tam bill without the relator provisions.	S Labor & Comm	AWB- OPPOSE
SB 5111	Sick leave/construction	Concerning payments for accrued and unused sick leave for certain construction workers.	– this bill requires payment for accrued and unused sick leave for certain construction workers separating from employment. This undermines those items that were collectively bargained.	S Labor & Comm	AWB- OPPOSE
SB 5123	Cannabis/employment	Concerning the employment of individuals who lawfully consume cannabis.	This bill is a step closure then earlier versions. This bill limits pre-employment restrictions regarding the use of cannabis. There are few exceptions listed in the bill. The concern is that it leaves out several industries that raise safety concerns like agriculture and manufacturing. We are working with the prime sponsor to address business concerns	S Labor & Comm	AWB- OPPOSE
SB 5158	State & local taxation	Concerning transparency in state and local taxation.		S Ways & Means	AWB-Neutral
SB 5171 (HB 1152)	Consumer products/gender	Addressing consumer gender discrimination.		S Law & Justice	AWB
SB 5176	Employee-owned coop UI	Concerning unemployment insurance benefits for officers of employee-owned cooperatives.		S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5202 (HB 1149)	Housing/capital expenditures	Reducing homelessness in Washington state through capital expenditures for programs that address housing insecurity.		S Housing	AWB- Concerns
SB 5212 (HB 1068)	Injured worker medical exams	Concerning injured workers’ rights during compelled medical examinations.		S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5217	Musculoskeletal injuries/L&I	Concerning the state’s ability to regulate certain industries and risk classes to prevent musculoskeletal injuries and disorders.		S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5236	Hospital staffing standards	Concerning hospital staffing standards.	This bill mirrors last years bill with the exception that L&I make the rules to determine staff ratios. This bill allows the state to interfere in the day to day operations without having any real knowledge of how to staff nurses.	S Labor & Comm	AWB- OPPOSE
SB 5240	Unemployment ins. appeals	Concerning unemployment insurance benefits appeal procedures.	This bill would allow OAH to not review eligibility when no one is challenging eligibility. The option to review remains an option at the discretion of the ALJ.	S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5246	Supreme court fiscal notes	Concerning fiscal notes for supreme court decisions.		S Law & Justice	AWB
SB 5260 (HB 1286)	Reprod. health/employers	Protecting and assisting Washington employers that provide access to, or benefits for, reproductive health care services.		S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5273 (HB 1200)	Employee information/unions	Requiring public employers to provide employee information to exclusive bargaining representatives.		S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5284	Campaign finance disclosure	Concerning campaign finance disclosure.		S State Govt & E	AWB
SB 5286	Paid leave premiums	Modifying the premium provisions of the paid family and medical leave program.	. Amends the premium rate calculation in the Paid Family and Medical Leave Program (PFML) to be based on a specified formula rather than the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Account (Account) balance ratio on September 30th of the previous year. Sets a maximum rate of 1.2 percent and removes the Employment Security Department’s authority to assess a solvency surcharge if the Account balance ratio falls below a certain threshold.	S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5310 (HB 1197)	Workers’ comp. providers	Defining attending provider and clarifying other provider functions for workers’ compensation claims, and adding psychologists as attending providers for mental health only claims.		S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5322 (HB 1282)	Public building materials	Requiring environmental and labor reporting for public building construction and renovation material.		S State Govt & E	AWB
SB 5331	Job search requirements/UI	Concerning job search requirements for unemployment insurance benefits.		S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5348	Distribution centers	Concerning warehouse distribution centers.		S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5349 (HB 1056)	Postretirement employment	Repealing some postretirement employment restrictions.		S Ways & Means	AWB
SB 5351 (HB 1155)	Consumer health data	Addressing the collection, sharing, and selling of consumer health data.		S Law & Justice	AWB
SB 5368	Stay-at-work program	Expanding access to the workers’ compensation stay-at-work program through off-site light duty return to work opportunities.		S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5417	Employer political speech	Protecting the rights of workers to refrain from attending meetings or listening to their employer’s speech on political or religious matters.		S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5418	Definition of public work	Expanding the definition of public work.		S State Govt & E	AWB
SB 5429 (HB 1457)	Motor carriers/restrooms	Concerning a motor carrierâs ability to access restroom facilities required by rules authorized under chapter 49.17 RCW.		S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5452		– Authorizing impact fee revenue to fund improvements to bicycle and pedestrian facilities:		Sloc Goc, Land	AWB- Oppose
SB 5454	RN PTSD/industrial insurance	Concerning industrial insurance coverage for posttraumatic stress disorders affecting registered nurses.		S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5472	Hard-to-place job seekers	Providing incentives to employers to hire certain hard-to-place job seekers.		S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5476	Agricultural overtime	Authorizing agricultural employers to select 12 weeks a year to employ workers for up to 50 hours a week before overtime applies.		S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5479	Long-term care/referendum	Repealing the long-term services and supports trust program.		S Labor & Comm	AWB
SB 5482		Concerning the margin tax.		Sbusiness, Fin
SB5258	Condominium Laws	Increasing the supply and affordability of condominium units and townhouses as an option for homeownership.		Slaw & Justice	AWB
SHB 1009	Military spouse employment	Concerning military spouse employment.		H Approps	AWB

Update 1/24/2023

The South Kitsap Chamber of Commerce seeks to inform our members about legislation that may affect their businesses. We share from a number of different sources in order to give our members a broad perspective.

Thank you to our partners at the Association of Washington Businesses, the Washington Retail Association and the Washington Hospitality Association for all their hard work on keeping us informed and representing our interests.

Tracking a bill in the Washington Legislature Get more information on a bill

For more information on the details about a specific bill that is currently before the legislature for consideration you can click on the link below.

You can also sign up for email alerts to be updated when there is movement on a bill.

Bill Information

Contacting Your Representative How to reach your district representative

State District 26


Representative Michelle Caldier (R) 26th Legislative District Committees: Website (360) 786 – 7802 EMAIL	Representative Spencer Hutchins (R) 26th Legislative District Committees: Health Care & Wellness Transportation Housing Website (360) 786-7964 EMAIL	Senator Emily Randall (D) 26th Legislative District Committees: Higher Education & Workforce Development Health & Long Term Care Transportation Website (360) 786 – 7650 EMAIL

State District 35


Representative Travis Couture (D) 35th Legislative District Committees: Human Services, Youth, & Early Learning Appropriations Capital Budget Environment & Energy Website (360) 786-7902 EMAIL	Representative Dan Griffey (R) 35th Legislative District Committees: Community Safety, Justice, & Reentry Local Government Transportation Website (360) 786-7966 EMAIL	Senator Drew MacEwen (R) 35th Legislative District Committees: Environment, Energy & Technology Business, Financial Services, Gaming & Trade Labor & Commerce Transportation Website (360) 786-7902 EMAIL

2022 Legislative Review Representative voting record on key business issues

AWB Washington Business

AWB review of legislature voting record on key business issues during the 2022 legislative session.

2022 Legislative session review

AWB highlights ‘the good, the bad & the ugly’ in the post-session legislative webinar.

What passed the Legislature this year, what failed to pass, and how did lawmakers help or hinder employers? AWB’s Government Affairs team broke down the 2022 session issue by issue during a webinar last week.