2023 legislative review
of the workers ’ comp system and opens the door for even bigger expansions to come . Under the bill , nurses with post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) are presumed to have acquired the condition while on the job ( reversing the general workers ’ comp requirement that the employee show that the injury was sustained while on the job ). As more worker classes are added to these types of bills , costs to the workers ’ compensation system will skyrocket . Along with pointing out the costs , AWB unsuccessfully urged lawmakers to remove the presumption that the cases originated on the job , and instead return to the normal workers ’ comp process . SB 5454 passed the House 57-40 and the Senate 30-18 .
HB 1521 / SB 5524 “ good faith / fair dealing ” with workers ’ compensation and thirdparty administrators
Passed / AWB Opposed sponsor : Rep . Dan Bronoske , D-Lakewood
This was one of several bills that undermine the foundation of Washington ’ s no-fault workers ’ compensation system . As introduced , this bill was creating an implied separate cause of action — if a worker didn ’ t like how a claim turned out , instead of appealing through the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals , he or she could just file an outside lawsuit . That provision was ultimately removed , but we believe future legislation will continue to undermine the original no fault system . The bill added a new expectation of “ good faith and fair dealing ” that originally would have applied widely , but was limited in the final bill to municipalities — again , some lawmakers indicated they would seek to expand that in the future . HB 1521 passed the Senate 29-19 and the House 84-14 .
paid family and medical leave
SB 5286 modifying the premium provisions of the paid family and medical leave program
Passed / AWB Supported sponsor : Sen . June Robinson , D-Everett
This bill implements a bipartisan plan that AWB helped negotiate to stabilize the state ’ s Paid Family and Medical Leave program . The bill will allocate $ 200 million to help set up a PFML reserve fund . This is
Sen . Karen Keiser , D-Des Moines , is chair of the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee .
10 association of washington business