issue area reports | employment & labor law
Sen . Karen Keiser , D-Kent , is president pro tempore of the Senate and chair of the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee .
it was evident that we would not see a formal independent contractor reform bill move in 2020 . The issue , however , will return in the 2021 session . The main reason that the bills were delayed is because of the California decision on AB5 , which radically changed how independent contractors are treated . While most of the independent contractor bills were not heard this year , one new bill was introduced : Senate Bill 6276 .
SB 6276 concerning the payment of wages to freelance workers
Failed / AWB Opposed
Senate Bill 6276 , sponsored by Sen . Karen Keiser , D-Kent , renamed independent contractors as freelancers . The bill would have added freelancers to the minimum wage provisions of the Minimum Wage Act . It also would allow freelancers to file wage complaints with the Department of Labor and Industries . It further would require employers to furnish an itemized statement of pay to a freelancer it employs . Ultimately , this bill would have set up a system that would require anyone hiring an independent contractor to have them clock in and out of every worksite . It would undermine the very reason someone becomes an independent contractor . No longer would the independent contractor be able to control their hours or their ability to bid any contract . AWB opposed this bill . The bill , in the end , did not get a hearing because of the grassroots opposition to it . restrictive scheduling
SHB 1491 employer and employee scheduling
Failed / AWB Opposed
Substitute House Bill 1491 , sponsored by Rep . Nicole Macri , D-Seattle , was reintroduced in 2020 . While AWB worked with the sponsors during the interim , the modified draft bill did not address the major concerns expressed by the business community . The new draft would still have required food service , hospitality , and retail establishments ( there were provisions that could have been interpreted to expand beyond those industries ) with more than 250 employees
Bill considered as part of AWB ’ s voting record
Favorable outcome for Washington businesses
Missed Opportunities
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