New Washington State laws will hit residents' wallet

OLYMPIA — With a new year just around the corner, a host of new statewide laws will soon impact Washingtonians’ wallets beginning Jan. 1.

Here are some of them.

Minimum wage

The state’s minimum wage – already the highest state-level minimum wage in the nation – will increase 38 cents.

According to the state Department of Labor & Industries, the minimum wage will rise to $16.66 an hour next year, a 2.35% increase over the current minimum wage of $16.28.

The increase applies to workers age 16 and older.

Employers may pay 85% of that wage, or $14.16 an hour, to workers ages 14-15.

Paid sick leave

Senate Bill 5793 means workers, including transportation company drivers, will have access to paid sick leave and be protected from discrimination or retaliation when exercising their rights.

Some highlights of Washington’s paid sick leave law: employers must provide at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked, employees can use paid sick leave after 90 days of employment and employees can carry up to 40 hours of paid sick leave from one year to the next.

Mandatory overtime

Under Senate Bill 5236, Washington will prohibit mandatory overtime for certain healthcare workers in hospitals.

Passed in 2023, the law applies to hourly workers and those covered by a collective bargaining agreement, including nurses, surgical technicians and other clinical staff. There are some exceptions, including emergency situations, pre-scheduled on-call times, staffing shortages despite reasonable efforts, and overtime that is necessary to complete a patient care procedure.

Hospitals must document their efforts to avoid overtime.

Smaller hospitals and critical access facilities have until July 1 to comply.

Negligent driving

House Bill 1112, passed in 2023, increases the penalaties for negligent drivers who seriously hurt or kill pedestrians or cyclists.

Under the new law, a negligent driver who kills someone will face a $5,000 fine, up to 364 days in jail, and the suspension of driving privileges for 90 days.

A negligent driver who seriously hurts someone will face a $5,000 fine, suspension of driving privileges for 90 days, traffic school and up to 100 hours of community service.

License plate covers

House Bill 1963 makes it illegal to use license plate covers, frames, holders or other materials that hide or alter the license plate.

Violators can be cited and fined up to $237. The law’s goal is to improve public safety and accountability by making it easier for police, toll collectors and safety cameras to read license plates.