Transcript Highlights:

• Americans work annually 125 more hours than workers in Canada, 204 more hours annually than workers in
• in Japan, 279 more annually than workers in the UK. in Japan, 279 more annually than workers in the
• But this is just going to bolster our workers and our workers...
• And our workers are the ones that we need to be bolstering because once the workers are getting what
• They're not full-time workers.

Bills: HB2513, HB2524, HB2611

Keywords: plumbing contractor, plumber, license suspension, credential suspension, administrative penalty, infractions, repeat violator, consumer protection, residential plumbing, construction licensing, Washington Department of Labor and Industries, advisory board of plumbers, plumbing certificate fund, code enforcement, professional licensing, trade regulation, security, regulation, employment standards, security guards

Summary: The Labor and Workplace Standards Committee held public hearings on three bills. House Bill 2524 would create a State Security Guards Industry Standards Board within L&I to set minimum standards for security guard compensation, leave, benefits, and training, funded in part by a $25 transfer from existing licensing fees. Supporters, including the sponsor, SEIU Local 6, and individual security guards, said the industry has high turnover, low wages, minimal training, and unsafe working conditions. Opponents from business and retail groups argued the bill is duplicative of existing licensing and training rules, would raise costs, and gives too much power to an unelected board. L&I said it was not taking a policy position but requested more time for implementation and a technical change to the fee deposit process. House Bill 2513 would change plumbing license suspension rules by keeping the current three-infractions-in-three-years standard for residential work, while creating a five-infractions-in-five-years standard for nonresidential work. The sponsor and supporters from mechanical contractors and union plumbers said repeat violators treat fines as a cost of doing business and that stronger enforcement is needed to protect public health, safety, and law-abiding contractors. Several plumbing contractor groups opposed the bill as written, focusing on an undefined subsection they said could create an open-ended administrative process and uncertainty; they asked that subsection be removed. L&I requested an effective date of January 1, 2027 to allow time for rulemaking. House Bill 2611 would reduce the standard workweek from 40 hours to 32 hours and lower the paid sick leave accrual threshold accordingly, effective January 1, 2028. The sponsor and labor supporters argued that shorter workweeks improve productivity, retention, morale, and work-life balance, citing examples from San Juan County and other workplaces. Business, hospitality, grocery, agriculture, and contractor representatives opposed the bill, saying it would raise labor costs, force schedule cuts or price increases, and be especially harmful in agriculture and other industries with tight margins and fixed operational demands. The committee heard extensive questions about how the proposal would affect hourly and salaried workers, overtime, staffing shortages, and whether employers could instead use remote work or existing bargaining processes; no votes were taken on any of the bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the bill that establishes labor protections for domestic workers separate from the Minimum Wage
• and compensation or termination on the basis of the worker being a member of a protected class.
• provide an eligible worker with the opportunity to participate in the pilot and the worker may opt in
• program, so we're letting workers have the option to opt out.
• It helps workers get paid faster when their employer breaks the law.

Bills: HB2355, HB2405, HB2406, HB2471, HB2472, HB2478, HB2479, HB2492

Keywords: labor protections, domestic workers, wage standards, employment rights, worker safety, mental health, PTSD, treatment program, research, pilot program, veteran support, trauma, healthcare funding, labor, communication, Department of Labor and Industries, workplace standards, modernization, collective bargaining, labor relations

Summary: The committee met in executive session on eight bills and first received staff briefings on each measure and the proposed amendments or substitutes. The bills covered domestic worker labor protections (HB 2355), a PTSD treatment pilot in workers’ compensation (HB 2405), electronic notices from L&I (HB 2406), private-sector collective bargaining triggers tied to federal labor law (HB 2471), fire sprinkler contractor licensing and fitter certification (HB 2472), wage complaint enforcement discretion (HB 2478), wage recovery and a wage recovery account (HB 2479), and behavioral health and wellness training for apprentices (HB 2492). Members discussed several amendments that narrowed or clarified exemptions, preserved current law in certain areas, and aligned related wage enforcement provisions. The committee then took up each bill in turn. Proposed Substitute HB 2355, which expands domestic worker protections and remedies, was advanced on a 6-3 vote after members debated the scope of the bill and a fiscal note; supporters emphasized protections for a vulnerable workforce, while opponents cited cost concerns. HB 2405 was amended to make participation in the PTSD pilot optional for workers and self-insurers, then passed unanimously. HB 2406 was amended to preserve current law for certain workers’ compensation and transportation-network-company notices while allowing electronic notices with recipient consent, and it passed unanimously. Proposed Substitute HB 2471, which would create a state collective bargaining trigger if federal labor law is no longer effective, passed 6-3 after debate over whether the bill was premature. The remaining bills also advanced with broad support. HB 2472 was amended to remove a stop-work reference for residential sprinkler fitting and then passed unanimously. HB 2478 was amended to require L&I to prioritize wage complaints and make its enforcement priorities public, then passed unanimously. HB 2479, the wage recovery bill, was amended to adjust repeat-willful-violator penalties and passed unanimously after members from both parties praised the bipartisan work group behind it. HB 2492 was amended to allow certain behavioral health training to count toward continuing education for licensed electricians and plumbers, then passed unanimously. At the end of the meeting, all eight bills were reported out of committee with due pass recommendations, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> for workers especially and for planet. for workers especially and for planet.
• </c> water on uh what it's doing to workers water on uh what it's doing to workers rights<00:32:08.000
• </c> one worker compared to another worker one worker compared to another worker could<00:34:54.560><
• c> and</c><01:04:38.640><c> using</c> worker rules, worker benefits and using worker rules, worker benefits
• </c> workers are asking for. workers are asking for.

Bills: HF1316, HF4369

Keywords: HF1316, child support, new hire reporting, centralized work reporting system, independent contractors, payors, employers, payor of funds, withholding orders, income withholding, child support enforcement, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, gig economy, rideshare drivers, delivery drivers, 1099, W-9, W-4, newly hired workers, rehired employees

Transcript Highlights:

• worker economy that are working in a gig worker economy that are working in a gig worker economy um
• Our workers compensation insurance. Our workers compensation insurance.
• Um and I am fully in workers comp. Um and I am fully in workers comp.
• Uh doctors that are familiar with workers comp, familiar with with workers comp, familiar with with workers
• But it it is to teachers workers comp. But it it is to teachers workers comp.

Bills: SB199, HB142, SB86, HB152, HB297, SB1, SB1

Keywords: parental leave, state employees, local education agencies, adoption, work-life balance, family support, portable benefits, portable benefit account, independent contractor, gig worker, 1099 worker, freelancer, app-based worker, rideshare, delivery driver, worker benefits, health insurance, retirement benefits, life insurance, income replacement insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• And each year, over $600 million is stolen from workers in Washington State.
• It doesn't just steal from the individual worker, though.
• It's about supporting the workers that keep our economy going, and I urge your support.
• would be capped and available only to low-wage workers.
• worker protection laws, but wage theft does remain a serious and ongoing problem.

Bills: HB2479, HB2091, HB2105, HB2107, HB2151, HB2190, HB2191, HB2218, HB2243, HB2303, HB2345

Keywords: unpaid wages, wage theft, wage recovery, labor standards, Department of Labor and Industries, L&I, worker protection, low-wage workers, back pay, interest on wages, civil penalties, retaliation, immigration status coercion, gig workers, transportation network companies, rideshare drivers, app-based drivers, employment law, wage complaint, payroll enforcement

Summary: The Labor and Workplace Standards Committee held a public hearing on House Bill 2479, the Wage Recovery Act. Staff explained that the bill would create a wage recovery program and account to provide limited advance payments to low-wage workers facing immediate economic harm from unpaid wages, while also giving the Department of Labor and Industries more discretion to prioritize wage complaints and changing civil penalty rules for willful violations. Representative Fosse and several testifiers from labor, business, and legal groups described the bill as a bipartisan, consensus product of the Wage Recovery Work Group and said it would help workers recover wages faster while targeting repeat violators. No one testified in opposition, and the hearing was closed without questions from members. The committee then moved into executive session and took action on several bills. It reported House Bill 291, 2105, 2107, 2151, 2190, 2303, and 2345 out of committee with due pass recommendations, and deferred action on 2191 and 2218. House Bill 2105, concerning employer notice of federal I-9 audits and related worker-record access, was amended with a technical correction and a revised penalty amendment before passing 6-3. House Bill 2151, on factory-built housing and commercial structures, was amended to exempt certain prefabricated enclosures for utility energy equipment. House Bill 2303, prohibiting employer requests for microchip implantation, was amended to remove administrative enforcement and passed 6-3. House Bill 2345, which adjusts paid family and medical leave premium allocations in response to IRS guidance, passed unanimously after members described it as a technical fix to avoid a potential federal tax liability. Other bills passed without substantive controversy: House Bill 291 on employee contact information for bargaining representatives, House Bill 2107 on notifying employers of construction hazards, and House Bill 2190 on paying language access providers for missed appointments. The committee also heard briefings on proposed substitutes and amendments for the remaining bills before voting, and adjourned after completing its executive session actions.

Transcript Highlights:

• What we don't want is a cop, a social worker, or multiple cops and social workers going and talking to
• ><c> workers</c><00:30:54.720><c> going</c><00:30:55.039><c> and</c> multiple social workers going and
• </c> and prosecution but the social workers and prosecution but the social workers assigned<00:31:31.440
• </c><00:31:35.480><c> advocacy</c> physical uh uh health workers advocacy physical uh uh health workers
• We hope that these social workers.

Bills: HF2362, HF2136, HF1316, HF2009, HF1918, HF1614

Keywords: youth intervention, funding, mental health, education, community programs, HF1316, child support, new hire reporting, centralized work reporting system, independent contractors, payors, employers, payor of funds, withholding orders, income withholding, child support enforcement, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, gig economy, rideshare drivers, delivery drivers

Transcript Highlights:

• unemployment benefits as any other worker, which already includes locked-out workers.
• unemployment benefits as any other worker, which already includes locked-out workers.
• like other workers striking workers like other workers striking workers<00:13:11.680><c> would</c><00
• workers.
• </c><00:20:48.840><c> the</c> workers this law will give workers the workers this law will give workers

Bills: HF3023, HF3078, HF107, HF2171, HF3079, HF689, HF1316

Keywords: unemployment benefits, iron ore mining, economic support, workforce development, Minnesota, unemployment insurance, deferred resignation, employment, worker rights, benefits eligibility, Ellsworth Independent School District, ISD 514, school construction, school renovation, sales tax exemption, use tax refund, construction materials, HVAC replacement, boiler replacement, window replacement

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> providers that can diagnose workers providers that can diagnose workers compensation<00:23:58.640
• Who wouldn't even stand up for their workers, their citizen workers.
• </c><01:12:59.199><c> um</c> cases um stand up for their workers um cases um stand up for their workers
• their uh two workers who their citizen<01:13:12.960><c> workers.
• </c><01:16:02.480><c> in</c> been 8,000 more paid workers in been 8,000 more paid workers in Minnesota

Bills: HF4862, HF4598

Keywords: apprenticeship, education, teacher training, grant program, labor and industry, workers' compensation, Minnesota workers' compensation, Workers' Compensation Advisory Council, reinsurance association, Workers' Compensation Reinsurance Association, WCRA, occupational disease, presumption, first responders, firefighter cancer, PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, police officer, paramedic, emergency medical technician

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, also expecting to consider a bill regarding the workforce, workers compensation advisory committee
• And so we want to be prepared for it and help workers to be prepared also.
• </c><00:04:10.720><c> to</c> prepared for it and uh help workers to prepared for it and uh help workers
• to adapt their skills, make use of this, or assist workers who are dislocated by the technology.
• Workers comp work. Oh, the workers comp bill we talked about earlier too.

Bills: HF4598, HF4884, HF3732

Keywords: workers' compensation, Minnesota workers' compensation, Workers' Compensation Advisory Council, reinsurance association, Workers' Compensation Reinsurance Association, WCRA, occupational disease, presumption, first responders, firefighter cancer, PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, police officer, paramedic, emergency medical technician, correctional officer, security counselor, public safety dispatcher, temporary total disability, permanent partial disability

Transcript Highlights:

• damages if they're not providing the workers' comp benefits to injured workers.
• Shannon Lindsay from Injured Workers; Joseph Jolassant from Injured Workers.
• from Injured Workers.
• . injured workers.
• Robin Crumholt from injured workers. Trey Mustian from injured workers.

Bills: HB282, HB293, HB390, HB456, HB460, HB561, HB819, HB1023, HB1047, HB1101

Keywords: employment discrimination, criminal history, rehabilitation, hiring process, human rights, gender identity, sexual orientation, workplace equality, labor rights, domestic abuse, unpaid leave, employee rights, workplace protection, mental health, survivor support, workers' compensation, employment benefits, claims process, fraud prevention, legal petition

Transcript Highlights:

• Imagine you're a gig worker and you open up your food delivery app after you completed an assigned task
• Imagine you're a gig worker and you open up your food delivery app after you completed an assigned task
• Vice Chair Greenman: Imagine you're a gig worker and you open up your food delivery app after you completed
• </c><01:20:48.880><c> Um</c> advantage of our workers. Um advantage of our workers.
• </c> cameras that actually spy on workers. cameras that actually spy on workers.

Bills: HF3878, HF4131, HF3796, HF4097

Keywords: airport workers, wage standards, labor rights, minimum wage, economic equity, surveillance, price discrimination, wage discrimination, consumer rights, automated decision systems, Minnesota Statutes, suitable seating, employee seating, workplace seating, occupational safety, workplace safety, labor standards, employer requirements, chair, stool

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 2372 pertains to workers' compensation, workers' compensation time-loss benefits.
• All workers deserve a voice.
• In Washington, our workers cover 26% of the cost of workers' compensation insurance.
• Washington farm workers or farmers? Yeah, farm workers. Washington farm workers or farmers?
• workers already have.

Bills: HB2355, HB2151, HB2372, HB2472, HB2409

Keywords: labor protections, domestic workers, wage standards, employment rights, worker safety, factory built housing, commercial structures, national standards, construction regulation, building safety, workers' compensation, benefits, employment, injury claims, insurance, liability, fire protection, sprinkler systems, licensed contractors, certified fitters

Summary: The House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee held public hearings on several bills. HB 2151 would update factory-built housing and commercial structure rules by directing L&I to consider newer national off-site construction standards and by allowing inspections to be performed by qualified third-party agencies without a direct contract requirement. The sponsor said it would reduce costs and speed inspections for manufactured housing; L&I supported the bill as a way to simplify third-party inspection relationships and keep up with workload. HB 2372 would change workers’ compensation time-loss calculations so injured workers receive 100% of the employer’s monthly health care contribution unless the employer keeps paying it directly. Supporters, including building trades representatives and an injured worker, said the current formula leaves families unable to afford coverage; NFIB opposed the bill, arguing the money should go directly to insurers or employers and raising concerns about whether workers would use the funds for premiums. L&I said the bill would require administrative time and funding and noted attorney fees can take up to 30% of additional benefits in some cases. The committee also heard HB 2355, a domestic workers bill of rights. The bill would create standalone protections for domestic workers covering wages, written agreements, notice or severance before termination, anti-harassment and anti-retaliation rules, and protections against discrimination, while also removing certain domestic-worker exemptions from the Minimum Wage Act and extending some discrimination protections. The sponsor and multiple workers, advocates, Seattle labor officials, and an employer testified in support, describing wage theft, lack of notice, and vulnerability in private homes; L&I said it had technical questions and would need time and funding to implement the measure. The committee then heard HB 2409, which would create a collective bargaining framework for agricultural workers under PERC, including union representation procedures, mediation, and interest arbitration. Supporters said it would correct a historic exclusion of farmworkers from collective bargaining rights and improve dignity and safety; opponents from farm groups argued agriculture’s time-sensitive nature means strikes could devastate crops and farms, and they warned the bill could harm the agricultural economy. Finally, the committee heard HB 2472 on fire sprinkler system contracting and fitting. The bill would require contractors and fitters to show licenses or certificates to local fire code officials, authorize stop-work orders for violations, and allow requests for payroll records during investigations. Supporters from labor, fire sprinkler industry groups, and fire marshals said it would improve public safety and enforcement against unqualified work; the Building Industry Association of Washington opposed the bill as drafted, asking for narrower language to avoid unintended reach into residential or other sprinkler systems. No votes or final committee actions were taken in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, school social workers were inadvertently left off of that list.
• I'm also a proud 28-year school social worker in a public school.
• School social workers have waited long enough.
• As school social workers, we wear many hats every single day.
• These are real experiences school social workers face daily.

Bills: SB231

Keywords: school social workers, salary supplement, LCSW, mental health, education funding, Delaware Code, certification, professional standards

Summary: The House Administration Committee met and first considered Senate Bill 231, which would extend the existing 6% salary supplement for school-based mental health professionals with advanced credentials to school social workers who hold licensed clinical social worker credentials and have passed the national exam. The bill sponsor and multiple witnesses described school social workers as essential to student mental health, crisis response, attendance, and family support, and argued the measure corrects an oversight and inequity in the current salary supplement structure. Public testimony was uniformly supportive, and the committee voted to release the bill. The committee then heard Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 212, a constitutional amendment to protect the rights to hunt, fish, and trap. Supporters, including sportsmen’s groups and individual residents, said the amendment would preserve longstanding traditions, support wildlife management, and guard against future threats to hunting and trapping. An opposing witness argued there was no current threat in Delaware and said the Constitution should not be used to protect trapping or elevate hunting and trapping over other wildlife management approaches. Despite the opposition, the committee voted to release the substitute bill. Finally, the committee took up Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 284, the First State Emergency Response Act, which would create a 25-foot buffer around first responders at emergency scenes after warning, with misdemeanor penalties for knowingly entering or remaining in the zone to interfere with duties. Supporters said the bill would protect police, firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics from interference, while opponents from the ACLU and the Office of Defense Services raised concerns about vague terms, potential First Amendment impacts, enforcement clarity, and jurisdictional issues. Committee members also questioned how the buffer would be marked and enforced. The sponsor and staff said they would continue working on the language, and the committee voted to release the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• House File 3228 is the workers' comp advisory council recommendations.
• The reason for the waiver is, as is typical, the workers' comp advisory did not adopt recommendations

Bills: HF3228, HF475

Keywords: workers' compensation, insurance programs, employee protection, Minnesota statutes, safety regulations, statue replacement, Hubert H. Humphrey, national commemoration, civil rights, Minnesota history, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm bringing to you today in the aftermath of us changing from a judicial to a commission system on workers
• We had this workers' comp advisory commission in place, and it is agreed by all involved today that it

Bills: SB1303, SB1343, SB1435, SB1438, SB1444, SB1641, SB1765, SB1916, SB2067

Keywords: workers' compensation, workers comp, Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Commission, Administrative Workers' Compensation Act, self-insurance guaranty fund, multiple injury trust fund, physician advisory committee, advisory council on workers' compensation, workers' compensation court, insurance, employer liability, self-insured employer, fund transfer, records transfer, agency reorganization, statutory cleanup, technical corrections, Title 85A, SB1343, Vision Plan Contractual Requirements Act

Transcript Highlights:

• In the aftermath of us changing from a judicial to a commission system on workers' comp, we had this
• workers' comp advisory commission in place.
• We had this workers' comp advisory commission in place, and it is agreed by all involved today that it

Bills: SB1303, SB1343, SB1435, SB1438, SB1444, SB1641, SB1765, SB1916, SB2067

Keywords: workers' compensation, workers comp, Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Commission, Administrative Workers' Compensation Act, self-insurance guaranty fund, multiple injury trust fund, physician advisory committee, advisory council on workers' compensation, workers' compensation court, insurance, employer liability, self-insured employer, fund transfer, records transfer, agency reorganization, statutory cleanup, technical corrections, Title 85A, SB1343, Vision Plan Contractual Requirements Act

Summary: The Business and Insurance committee met and first announced that several bills—1765, 1916, 1438, and 1444—would be laid over. The committee then considered Senate Bill 1303, which repeals an obsolete workers’ compensation advisory commission that members said is no longer needed after the state moved to a commission-based system; it passed 9-0. Senate Bill 1641 followed, clarifying that annual renewal notices for certain business certifications may be sent to the last known email address of record; it also passed 9-0. The committee then took up Senate Bill 1435, a property insurance measure responding to rising premiums. The author argued it would prohibit insurers from using credit scores in premium rating, citing examples of large rate differences tied to credit rather than driving or property risk. Members questioned whether banning credit scoring would shift costs to other policyholders, but the bill passed 5-3 after the title was struck. Senate Bill 1343, an optometry-related bill intended to ensure vision plan organizations and optometrists follow existing regulatory rules, drew questions about discounts and incentives but was described as not changing the current framework; it passed 8-1. Finally, Senate Bill 2067 was heard to help financial institutions more effectively report suspected financial exploitation of vulnerable adults and share information with Adult Protective Services or law enforcement more quickly. The author said the bill would remove legal barriers and improve scam prevention, especially for older adults. It passed unanimously 9-0. The chair then adjourned the meeting, noting the next meetings would be longer.

Transcript Highlights:

• , including low-income workers.
• For the record, Scott Dilly from the Worker and Farmer Labor Association.
• But striking workers may reasonably believe the benefits they received were final.
• A solvency tax might be imposed in 2028, impacting workers and their employers.
• The rates for workers' comp risk classification. Thank you. No more discussion.

Bills: SB6134, SB6136, SB6188

Keywords: unemployment insurance, UI benefits, striking workers, strike, labor dispute, retroactive wages, overpayment assessment, overpayment recovery, Employment Security Department, ESD, claimant notice, benefit recoupment, Washington unemployment law, worker notice, federal unemployment tax credit, state unemployment fund, workers' compensation, industrial insurance, premium rates, rate transparency

Transcript Highlights:

• crawfish industry as agricultural labor services for the purposes of the H-2A temporary agricultural worker
• crawfish industry as agricultural labor services for the purposes of the H-2A temporary agricultural worker
• as far as the crawfish, all of our crawfish processors were having trouble getting in their H-2B workers

Bills: HCR77

Keywords: crawfish, agricultural labor, H-2B program, H-2A program, labor shortage, temporary workers, Louisiana economy, HCR77, crawfish industry, H-2B visa, seasonal labor, agriculture, immigration

Summary: The House Committee on Agriculture met with a quorum and considered only one item, House Concurrent Resolution 77. The resolution urges Congress, the President, and federal agencies to take action to allow crawfish industry job duties to be treated as agricultural labor for H-2A purposes and to support an H-2B-certified seasonal employer designation. Chairwoman Butler explained that the measure was prompted by problems with H-2A/H-2B worker availability and denials that have affected crawfish processors and other agricultural businesses in Louisiana. Several members spoke in support. Representative Coates said he wanted to co-author the resolution, Representative Henry described similar problems in his district and thanked the chair for advancing the issue, and Representative Schamerhorn also supported the resolution while noting concerns about reliance on foreign labor and stating that employers cover travel, background checks, housing, and wages averaging about $18 per hour. Representative Omaday moved to report HCR 77 favorably, and the committee approved the motion without objection. After the favorable report, the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• crawfish industry as agricultural labor services for the purposes of the H-2A temporary agricultural worker
• crawfish industry as agricultural labor services for the purposes of the H-2A temporary agricultural worker
• as far as the crawfish, all of our crawfish processors were having trouble getting in their H-2B workers

Bills: HCR77

Keywords: crawfish, agricultural labor, H-2B program, H-2A program, labor shortage, temporary workers, Louisiana economy, HCR77, crawfish industry, H-2B visa, seasonal labor, agriculture, immigration, 965, house, all

Bills: HB 322, HB 331, HB 673, HB 1147, HB 1154, HB 2488

Keywords: JET Grant Program, career education, technical education, community colleges, technology solutions, high demand jobs, first responders, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, benefits, compensation, presumption of disability, emergency services, healthcare, Medicaid, mental health, substance abuse, treatment access, cost, insurance coverage