Washington just rolled out another batch of worker-friendly, employer-hostile laws—because what business really needs during an economic crunch is more red tape, vague mandates, and unpaid leave for every imaginable circumstance.

Employment law expert Deidra Nguyen didn’t sugarcoat it during a webinar for businesses: “There’s a fair bit of bad news.” Translation—Democrats in Olympia have once again made life harder for employers in the name of “progress.”

Among the latest gems:

Paid Family Medical Leave now kicks in after just four hours off (because apparently bathroom breaks count), and smaller employers will soon be forced to comply. Great news if you enjoy hiring part-time workers with full-time demands.

Domestic Violence Leave now covers victims of hate crimes—you or your family. It’s unpaid, of course, but still uses up paid sick leave. “Reasonable amount of time” is the legal standard, which means: good luck figuring it out.

Family member definition now includes just about anyone who crashes on your couch more than once a week. If you’re feeding them, you’re responsible for them, legally speaking.

Sick leave for immigration hearings? Yep, that’s now law too—because why not turn your business into an HR maze every time ICE files paperwork?

Driver’s license requirements in job ads are now illegal—unless the job specifically involves driving. So even if your warehouse worker needs to arrive on time and not take four buses to get there? Too bad. That’s discrimination now.

And the pièce de résistance:
Striking workers now qualify for unemployment benefits. Yes, you read that right—employees who walk off the job can now collect from the state’s unemployment fund for up to six weeks, courtesy of Senate Bill 5041. And don’t expect a financial reckoning until 2035—because apparently, fiscal responsibility can wait another decade.

Washington lawmakers are proving once again that they’ve never met a pro-labor, anti-employer regulation they didn’t love—no matter how confusing, costly, or impossible to enforce. Good luck out there, small business owners—you’re going to need it. Read more at Center Square.

Democrats in Washington State just scored another win in their war on parental rights. A three-judge panel from the ever-reliable leftist 9th Circuit Court tossed out a lawsuit challenging Senate Bill 5599—the infamous 2023 law that lets shelters hide runaway kids from their parents if the child is seeking “gender-affirming care.” Yes, the state now decides whether parents get told if their kid has vanished, so long as the bureaucrats believe the teen might face “abuse”—which conveniently includes parents not rubber-stamping radical gender treatments.

The court ruled the parents who sued didn’t have standing, since their kids hadn’t yet bolted or been hidden. Translation: you can’t challenge the law until it’s too late to stop the damage. The law lets shelters bypass parents and loop in state authorities instead, as long as there’s a vague excuse—especially if the child’s pursuing gender transition or abortion services.

AG Nick Brown’s office cheered the ruling, smugly declaring that the court “saw through this politicized attempt”—as if stripping parents of their rights isn’t the very definition of political. Despite strong opposition and a failed referendum effort, Democrats rammed this law through anyway, putting ideology over family.

Parents and advocacy groups, represented by America First Legal, called the law a direct assault on the Constitution and basic parental rights. But in blue-state Washington, the new parenting model is simple: State knows best. Parents, butt out. Read more at the Washington State Standard.

After failing to pass it the first time, Spokane’s far-left city council is taking another swing at banning warrantless searches by federal immigration authorities on so-called “nonpublic” city property. Because apparently, nothing says “public safety” like making your city a haven for illegal immigration—so long as there are enough signs and barriers.

The ordinance, originally pitched by now-departed Councilmember Lili Navarrete, flopped last month after Council President Betsy Wilkerson pumped the brakes over “legal nuances.” Translation: even she thought it was legally shaky. But now that Navarrete’s seat is up for grabs and the progressive majority gets to pick the replacement, they’re trying again—this time with a version that tacks on a fancy permit system and some fig leaf enforcement language.

Councilmember Paul Dillon is spearheading the effort again, claiming it’s about protecting “private events” from ICE agents. Apparently, federal immigration enforcement now threatens Spokane’s ticketed street fairs. The law wouldn’t stop local police from enforcing the law—just the feds. But don’t worry, SPD is now documenting any scary sightings of immigration agents and uploading them to Evidence.com like it’s some dystopian police Yelp review site.

Also baked in: a “private right of action” that lets people sue—just not the city—for any perceived violation of their sacred right to “quiet enjoyment” and “privacy” on public roads magically declared private. Council President Wilkerson is already worried people will expect the city to actually do something with this law, which she admits it probably can’t.

So to recap: Spokane’s council is spending its time on elaborate legal shields for illegal immigrants instead of dealing with crime, housing, or basic governance. Read more at Center Square.

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