Lots of New Employment Laws Coming to Washington

Would ban noncompete agreements and require employers to make reasonable efforts to notify current and former workers by October 1, 2027, that any previous noncompete agreements are void and unenforceable.

Prohibits employers from requesting, requiring or coercing an employee to have a microchip implanted. Allows affected employees to sue for injunctive relief, damages and more.

Modifies the allocation of the employer and employee premium shares under the state paid family and medical leave (PFML) law.

Establishes labor protections for domestic workers, including coverage under the Minimum Wage Act and the Washington Law Against Discrimination, written agreements specifying a worker's position and rate of pay, severance pay and two weeks' notice before termination, and retaliation protections.

Increases penalties for violations of wage-payment laws like the Minimum Wage Act (MWA) and the Wage Payment Act (WPA), and provides for tri-annual inflation adjustments starting in 2030. Also creates a Wage Recovery Program to disburse funds to unpaid employees who would experience "immediate economic harm" due to not being paid wages.

Replaces the term alien with noncitizen in several statutes, and requires all state and local statutes and other official documents enacted after July 1, 2026, to use the term noncitizen instead of alien when referring to an individual who is not a citizen or national of the United States (unless alien is required to comply with federal law or funding requirements).

Allows the Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) to waive penalties for "minor or insignificant reporting errors" on required quarterly reports about unemployment insurance benefits such as inadvertent software errors.