Senate Labor & Commerce committee advances multiple L&I-related bills in executive session

During an executive session following public testimony, the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee considered and moved multiple bills related to labor, L&I administration and workers' compensation.

Key actions recorded in the executive session included adoption of a proposed second substitute to Senate Bill 5,292 (paid family and medical leave rate-setting) and a do-pass recommendation to the Ways and Means Committee (motion and voice vote; proposed substitute adopted). The committee adopted an amendment to Senate Bill 6,014 (pregnancy accommodations) and rolled that into a proposed substitute, sending the bill with a do-pass recommendation to the rules committee.

Senate Bill 5,972 (interest arbitration for correctional employees) was discussed with several amendments considered; after debate on multiple amendments the committee adopted the proposed substitute and sent the bill with a do-pass recommendation. The committee also adopted proposed substitutes or passed subject-to-signatures motions for additional bills, including SB 5,869 (notice of hazards on construction sites), SB 5,874 (employer reporting for unemployment insurance, proposed substitute E), SB 6,058 (wage enforcement discretion), SB 5,944 (language access bargaining), SB 6,039 (methods of communication by L&I, proposed substitute F), and SB 6,188 (removing limits on L&I asbestos training authority).

Several motions were by voice vote without a recorded roll-call tally in the hearing transcript; the committee made multiple "do pass" recommendations and several bills were recorded as "passed subject to signatures." Committees and staff will process adopted substitutes and amendments for referral to Ways and Means or Rules as noted in the record.

Next steps: The bills advanced in executive session move forward to the committees indicated (Ways and Means, Rules) or proceed to signature processing as appropriate.