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Apr 06 2026
Employee BenefitsLabor RelationsWage and Hour

More Washington bills signed from 2026 legislative session

More bills from the 2026 Washington legislative session have been signed into law by Governor Bob Ferguson. We previously reported on several bills from this session; here are four additional laws of interest to employers: SSHB 2105 Immigrant Worker Protection Act: Within 5 business days of receiving a notice of an I-9 inspection, employers must post and…

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Jan 05 2026
Employee BenefitsLeave LawsWashington

In Washington Health benefits may need to start during paid leave

As of January 1, 2026, several important changes to Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave (WPFML) have taken effect (as we previously reported), including expanded health benefit coverage, which will affect employees whose leave crosses over from the end of 2025 into the beginning of 2026. Currently, health benefits continue if there’s at least one…

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Jun 09 2025
Employee BenefitsLeave LawsWashington

Big changes to Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave law

On May 17, 2025, Governor Bob Ferguson signed legislation making significant changes to the Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave program (WPFML) (ESSHB 1213). The amended law expands job protection to employees of smaller companies, creates a time limit on job protection rights, allows employers to count leave time under the federal Family and Medical…

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May 19 2025
Employee BenefitsLeave LawsTermination & Resignation

Washington state-level WARN Act adds major compliance hurdles

On May 13, 2025, Governor Ferguson signed ESSB 5525, creating significant obligations for Washington employers conducting specific mass layoffs and business closings. Since 1989, the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act) has required employers with 100 or more full-time employees to provide advance notice when they’re conducting mass layoffs or plant closings,…

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May 03 2024
DisabilityEmployee BenefitsLeave Laws

EEOC issues regs for Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued regulations and interpretive guidance to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which requires all employers with 15 or more employees to reasonably accommodate workers with known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. The regulations take effect on June 18, 2024 (89 Fed Reg…

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Mar 21 2024
Employee BenefitsHiringLabor Relations

Judge tosses NLRB’s 2023 joint employer rule

A federal district court judge in Texas has invalidated the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)’s 2023 rule defining when two separate companies are actually joint employers for purposes of compliance with the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The judge issued the decision shortly before the rule was scheduled to take effect. The Board is expected…

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May 18 2023
DisabilityEmployee BenefitsLeave Laws

WASHINGTON: Governor signs 2023 legislation

The 2023 legislative regular session ended on April 23, 2023, with Washington Governor Jay Inslee signing multiple employment-related bills into law. Please see our separate articles in today’s newsletter on two of those bills, “WASHINGTON: New bill limits most pre-employment cannabis tests” (regarding ESSB 5123) and “WASHINGTON: Employers must notify warehouse employees of quotas” (regarding…

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Feb 16 2023
COVID-19Employee Benefits

COVID-19 benefits plan deadline extensions to end July 10, 2023

The Biden Administration recently announced that the COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency will end on May 11, 2023, which means that starting 60 days afterward (July 10, 2023), various employee health plans will no longer be required to extend certain deadlines for plan participants and beneficiaries. This includes extensions to the usual deadlines…

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Dec 15 2022
Employee BenefitsEmployee ClassificationsHiring

WASHINGTON: L&I policy addresses job posting requirements

The Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) recently released a new Administrative Policy (ES.E.1) that provides guidance on new job posting requirements. As we previously reported, employers with 15 or more employees must include specific information on wages and benefits in all job postings beginning January 1, 2023. The Administrative Policy provides informal guidance…

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Apr 07 2022
Employee BenefitsHiringWage and Hour

WASHINGTON: Employers must disclose pay info in all job postings

On March 30, 2022, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed Substitute Senate Bill 5761, which requires employers with 15 or more employees to include the wage scale or salary range in each job posting, along with a general description of all benefits and other compensation for the job, effective January 1, 2023. The bill modifies Washington’s…

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Sep 16 2021
COVID-19Employee BenefitsLeave Laws

OREGON: Health care workers get paid leave for COVID-19 exposure

Oregon OSHA has published a temporary rule that requires employers with 11 or more employees to pay their health care workers who take time off to quarantine or isolate after a work-related exposure to COVID-19 (coronavirus). This rule on “medical relief benefits” (also referred to as “medical removal protection benefits”) is effective from September 16,…

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Mar 18 2021
COVID-19DisabilityEmployee Benefits

American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 impacts benefits, leaves, and more

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), the latest COVID-19 relief bill, offers a 100 percent COBRA subsidy and expands eligibility for paid leave tax credits, among other provisions. The bill was signed by President Biden on March 11, 2021. COBRA subsidy: Employees who lose employer-sponsored group health insurance coverage due to involuntary termination…

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