Several bills potentially impacting city workforces are scheduled for hearings this week. The bills include employee vehicle searches, qualifications for police, and a possible new legal holiday for Lunar New Year.

Employee vehicle searches

HB 1491, sponsored by Rep. Ed Orcutt (R–Kalama), prohibits employers from searching an employee's privately owned vehicle located on the employer's premises. It also specifies that employees are permitted to keep any legal private property in their vehicle while on the employer's premises. Under the bill, employees can file complaints with the Department of Labor & Industries and the department can impose civil penalties for violations.

The bill includes a list of exceptions, including:

• employer-owned or leased vehicles
• lawful searches by law enforcement
• to prevent an imminent threat to health or safety
• employee consents to a search for employer property or controlled substances
• security inspections on state or federal military facilities
• vehicles located at a correctional facility
• other employer areas subject to searches under state and federal law

Rep. Orcutt had a very similar bill in 2021 that passed out of committee but never got a vote on the House floor. You can read our write up here.

Police and prosecutor qualifications

HB 1530 is sponsored by Rep. Julio Cortes (D–Everett). It permits general and limited authority law enforcement agencies to consider US citizens and lawful permanent residents for employment in any position within their agency. Similarly, the bill allows the hiring of deputy prosecutors that are either a US citizen or lawful permanent resident, and need not be an elector in the county they serve.

A similar bill, SB 5274, also allows hiring of lawful permanent residents as police or prosecutors. That bill also eliminates English language proficiency requirements for applicants to city fire departments, city police departments, and other agencies. That bill is waiting for vote on the Senate floor.

Lunar New Year holiday

HB 1516, sponsored by Rep. My-Linh Thai (D–Bellevue), establishes a new state legal holiday for the Lunar New Year on the Saturday before the beginning of the Lunar New Year (the second new moon following winter solstice, or the third new moon in a leap year according to the lunar calendar). The bill specifies that the Lunar New Year holiday is observed on Saturday, not on preceding Friday as with other state holidays that fall on Saturday.

Cities can recognize their own list of holidays through adoption of ordinances, personnel policies, or including them in collective bargaining agreements. Lunar New Year would be the 12^th state legal holiday.

Dates to remember

HB 1491 is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Labor & Workplace Standards Committee on Wednesday, February 8 at 8 am.

HB 1530 is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Community Safety, Justice, & Reentry on Monday, February 6 at 1:30 pm.

HB 1516 is scheduled for public hearing in the House State Government & Tribal Relations Committee on Wednesday, February 8 at 1:30 pm. It is also scheduled for a committee vote on Friday, February 10 at 8 am.