Stay informed! Each week of the 2025 Legislative Session the Washington State Women’s Commission will spotlight 3-5 bills up for action during that week. WSWC selects bills to highlight based on the level of potential impact to women and girls in the state. The inclusion of bills in the Spotlight is for educational purposes and does not signify WSWC's support or opposition. 

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Weekly Session Spotlights

• Week 12 (3/31-4/4)
• Week 11 (3/24 - 3/28)
• Week 6  (2/17 - 2/21)
• Week 5 (2/10 - 2/14)
• Week 4  (2/3 - 2/7)
• Week 3 (1/27 - 1/31)
• Week 2 (1/20-1/24)
• Week 1 (1/13 - 1/17)

Week 12 - Status of Spotlighted Bills

Bill Number	Abbreviated Title	Status
2SSB 5217	Pregnancy Accommodations	Alive – Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations April 5th
SSB 5104	Workplace Coercion Protections	Alive – Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations April 3rd
HB 1077	IUD pain control options	Dead
2SSB 5358	Career & Technical Education in 6th Grade	Alive – Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations April 2nd
2SSB 5355	Higher Education Safety for Student Survivors	Alive – In House Rules Committee
ESHB 1291	Maternity Services Costs Sharing	Alive – In Senate Rules Committee
SB 5321	Concerning access to medication abortion at postsecondary institutions	Dead - Companion Bill SB 5543 is Alive with a hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations April 4th
HB 1554	College Bound Scholarship	Dead
SB 5254	Health Care Information	Dead
HB 1583	Traditional Health and Medicaid	Dead - Though one-time funding is included in House and Senate Budget Proposals
SB 5490	Jail Searches and Gender	Alive – Referred to House Rules Committee
SSB 5557	Pregnancy & emergency treatment	Alive – In House Rules Committee
SB 5632	Protecting confidentiality in the Shield Law	Alive – In House Rules Committee
HB 1591	Providing remedies for defendant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking	Dead
SHB 1817	Supporting survivors of sexual assault in public elementary and secondary schools	Alive – In House Rules Committee
HB 1881	Concerning the health care marketplace	Dead
SB 5498	Concerning contraceptive coverage	Alive – In House Rules Committee
HB 1561	Providing labor market protections for domestic workers	Dead
HB 1677	Concerning access to medication abortion at postsecondary institutions	Dead
SB 5362	Concerning victims of crime act funding.	Dead

Week 11 March 24 - 28

The following bills were scheduled for public hearings during this week.

SSB 5490 – Jail Searches and Gender

• This legislation aims to provide parameters for conducting searches of transgender and intersex individuals confined in local jails, in line with standing federal regulations. Some parameters include allowing the individual an option of choosing who performs the search from a list of authorized individuals.

2SHB 1503 - Furthering digital equity and opportunity in Washington state.

• This bill reaffirms the legislature’s intentions to increase access to the internet for all Washingtonians by supporting collaboration through the Department of Commerce and the Office of Equity. These two departments are given responsibility to facilitate expanding digital equity across the state.

ESHB 1562 – Increasing the availability of diaper changing stations

• This bill aims to require public buildings to require baby diaper changing stations to be accessible in more public restrooms, including women’s, men’s and gender-neutral restrooms.

Week 6 Feb 17-Feb 21

SB 5498 – Concerning Contraceptive Coverage

• SB 5498, like it’s Companion House Bill 1090, proposes to require health benefit plans to provide reimbursement for a 12-month supply of contraceptive drugs. It notes that dispensing practices should follow clinical guidelines regarding prescribing and dispensing drugs in consideration of he health of the patient.

HB 1561 – Providing labor market protections for domestic workers.

• This bill, coined the “Workers Bill of Rights” seeks to extend protections, such as minimum wage and overtime, meal and rest periods, and two week notice of termination. It also protects a worker’s right to keep their personal documents, like a passport. Domestic workers include those who work as nannies, house cleaners, cooks, and more. The bill’s companion, SB 5023, has been considered in the Senate.

HB 1677 - Concerning access to abortion medication

• This legislation intends to ensure student health centers offer access to abortion medication through public programs or provide information and referral services to qualified providers who can lawfully administer abortion medication to students seeking those services, with the utmost privacy and discretion. A similar bill, SB 5321, is also being considered in the Senate.

SB 5273 – Community Violence Prevention and Intervention Services

• SB 5273 proposes funding, subject to availability, for programs that offer community violence prevention and intervention services for youth and adults who have been violently injured, are at risk of experiencing violent injury, or have experienced chronic exposure to community violence. The programs may be based at a hospital or community organization to where clients are referred by a licensed health care provider.

Week 5 Feb 10-14

SB 5632 – Protecting confidentiality in the Shield Law.

• SB 5623 seeks to strengthen the existing Shield Law. The Shield Law was enacted in 2023 to protect Washingtonians from civil and criminal actions in other states that criminalize reproductive and gender affirming care.

HB 1591 – Providing remedies for defendant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking.

• HB 1591 intends to provide sentencing alternatives and/or reductions for defendants who are victims or survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking.

HB 1817 - Supporting survivors of sexual assault in public elementary and secondary schools.

• HB 1817 directs the legislative youth advisory council to lead discussions about mandatory reporting of child abuse or neglect. It requires they solicit feedback and collaboration from students in those discussions.

HB 1881 – Concerning the health care marketplace

• HB 1881 intends to require additional oversight on hospital and health care mergers to determine their impact on communities. 

Week 4 Feb 3-7

SB 5362 – Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Funding 

• SB 5362 seeks to provide a stable funding infrastructure for programs that support victims and survivors of crimes due to large declines in federal funding. This infrastructure would allow the Office of Crime Victims Advocacy to administer funds to more programs that provide support and assistance to individuals in need.  

HB 1554 – College Bound Scholarship 

• HB 1554 intends to expand eligibility of the College Bound Scholarship to students who have received a high school equivalency certificate. The College Bound Scholarship covers average tuition, fees, and a book allowance at over 65 colleges, universities, and technical schools in Washington. 

SB 5254 – Health Care Information 

• SB 5254 aims to make it easier for patients to access their personal health records by capping provider or facility fees at $50 for copies of their medical records. 

HB 1583 – Traditional Health and Medicaid  

• This legislation intends to allow for traditional health care practices to be covered for Medicaid beneficiaries. Traditional health care practices would be covered when received through Indian health service facilities or facilities operated by tribes or tribal organizations. 

SB 5490 – Jail Searches and Gender 

• This legislation aims to provide parameters for conducting searches of transgender and intersex individuals confined in local jails. Some parameters include allowing the individual an option of choosing who performs the search from a list of authorized individuals.  

SB 5557 – Pregnancy & Emergency Treatment 

• SB 5557 seeks to make a requirement to provide the appropriate emergency care to patients coming into hospitals, including providing termination of pregnancy for a pregnant person whose health is in serious jeopardy if a procedure is not performed. The bill states that the hospital must consider the health of the pregnant person as a priority. 

Week 3 Jan 27-31

SB 5358 – Career & Technical Education in 6th Grade

• This legislation seeks to offer exploratory career and technical education courses for students beginning in the 6th grade. Currently, these courses begin in 7th grade.

SB 5355 – Higher Education Safety for Student Survivors

• This legislation intends to improve and enhance protections that higher education institutions offer to student survivors of sex-based violence and harassment. Proposed protections include having employees trained in trauma-informed care, timely investigations, mental health or counseling services, and more.

HB 1291 – Maternity Services Cost Sharing

• This legislation intends to make labor and delivery services more affordable by ensuring services can be offered before a deductible is met, and applying any payments made (like co-pays or co-insurance) towards the insured person’s deductible.

SB 5321 – Concerning access to abortion medication at postsecondary educational institutions

• This legislation intends to ensure student health centers offer access to abortion medication through public programs. If a public institution does not have a health center, the legislation requires they provide information and referral services to qualified providers who can lawfully administer abortion medication to students seeking those services.

Week 2 Jan 20-24

HB 1077 – IUD Pain Control Options 

• This legislation intends to raise awareness of pain control options for intrauterine device placement (IUD) and removal ahead of appointments.  

SB 5217 – Pregnancy Accommodations 

• This legislation intends to ensure employers pay employees their regular wages for the breaks and travel time they take for the purposes of breastfeeding. Additionally, requests for a delay or excusal from jury duty would be allowable for purposes of breastfeeding.  

SB 5104 – Workplace coercion protections  

• This bill intends to protect employees by penalizing employers who violate pay or working conditions based on an employee’s or their family member’s immigration status. It also requires the Department of Labor and Industries to investigate complaints of this nature.  

Week 1 Jan 13-17

HB 1090 - Contraceptive Coverage

• This legislation intends to require health plans to reimburse for a 12-month supply to all prescriptions of contraceptive drugs, not only refills.

SB 5105 - Criminal offenses involving fabricated depictions of minors

• This legislation aims to eliminate the requirement that the state must establish the identity of alleged victims for prosecutions related to fabricated depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. A "fabricated depiction" is any visual or printed matter that is obscene, and created or altered digitally to depict a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

HB 1136 - Student Navigational Support

• This legislation intends to establish guidelines to provide student navigational support services in schools with the goal of increasing postsecondary enrollment.