Laid-off employees

AN ACT Relating to the securing timely notification and benefits 1
for laid-off employees act by updating the definition of employer to 2
exclude Indian tribes and protecting employee names and addresses 3
through an exemption from public disclosure; amending RCW 49.45.010; 4
reenacting and amending RCW 42.56.230; and declaring an emergency.5
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:6
Sec. 1. RCW 49.45.010 and 2025 c 277 s 1 are each amended to 7
read as follows: 8
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter 9
unless the context clearly requires otherwise. 10
(1) "Affected employee" means an employee who may reasonably 11
expect to experience an employment loss because of a proposed 12
business closing or mass layoff by an employer. 13
(2) "Aggrieved employee" means an employee who has worked for the 14
employer ordering the business closing or mass layoff and who, 15
because of the employer's failure to comply with the requirements of 16
chapter 277, Laws of 2025, did not receive timely notice either 17
directly or through the employee's representative.18
(3) "Bargaining representative" means an exclusive representative 19
of employees under the national labor relations act, 29 U.S.C. Sec. 20
151 et seq., or the railway labor act, 45 U.S.C. Sec. 151 et seq.21
Z-0454.6
SENATE BILL 6106
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Senators Cleveland, Saldaña, Conway, Nobles, and Valdez; by
request of Employment Security Department
Read first time 01/14/26. Referred to Committee on Labor & Commerce.
p. 1 SB 6106
(4) "Business closing" means the permanent or temporary shutdown 1
of a single site of employment of one or more facilities or operating 2
units that will result in an employment loss for 50 or more 3
employees, excluding part-time employees. 4
(5) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of the employment 5
security department. 6
(6) "Department" means the employment security department.7
(7) "Employee" means a person employed in this state by an 8
employer. "Employee" includes part-time employees. 9
(8) "Employer" means a person who employs 50 or more employees in 10
this state, excluding part-time employees. "Employer" does not 11
include the state or any political subdivision thereof, including any 12
unit of local government , or any Indian tribe, as defined in section 13
3306(u) of the federal unemployment tax act. 14
(9)(a) "Employment loss" means: 15
(i) An employment termination, other than a discharge for cause, 16
voluntary separation, or retirement; 17
(ii) A layoff exceeding six months; or 18
(iii) A reduction in hours of more than 50 percent of work of 19
individual employees during each month of a six-month period.20
(b) "Employment loss" does not include instances when a business 21
closing or mass layoff is the result of the relocation or 22
consolidation of part or all of the employer's business and, before 23
the business closing or mass layoff, the employer offers to transfer 24
the employee to a different site of employment within a reasonable 25
commuting distance, as defined by the department, with no more than a 26
six-month break in employment. 27
(10) "Mass layoff" means a reduction in employment force that is 28
not the result of a business closing and results in an employment 29
loss during any 30-day period of 50 or more employees, excluding 30
part-time employees. 31
(11) "Part-time employee" means an employee who is employed for 32
an average of fewer than 20 hours per week, or an employee who has 33
been employed for fewer than six of the twelve months preceding the 34
date on which notice is required. However, if an applicable 35
collective bargaining agreement defines a part-time employee, such 36
definition shall supersede the definition in this subsection.37
(12) "Single site of employment" means a single location or a 38
group of contiguous locations, such as a group of structures that 39
p. 2 SB 6106
form a campus or business park or separate facilities across the 1
street from each other. 2
Sec. 2. RCW 42.56.230 and 2023 c 361 s 14, 2023 c 346 s 1, and 3
2023 c 182 s 2 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:4
The following personal information is exempt from public 5
inspection and copying under this chapter: 6
(1) Personal information in any files maintained for students in 7
public schools, patients or clients of public institutions or public 8
health agencies, or welfare recipients; 9
(2)(a) Personal information: 10
(i) For a child enrolled in licensed child care in any files 11
maintained by the department of children, youth, and families;12
(ii) For a child enrolled in a public or nonprofit program 13
serving or pertaining to children, adolescents, or students, 14
including but not limited to early learning or child care services, 15
parks and recreation programs, youth development programs, and after-16
school programs; 17
(iii) For a student enrolled or previously enrolled in a local 18
education agency, in any records pertaining to the student, including 19
correspondence; 20
(iv) For the family members or guardians of a child who is 21
subject to the exemption under this subsection (2) if the family 22
member or guardian has the same last name as the child or if the 23
family member or guardian resides at the same address as the child 24
and disclosure of the family member's or guardian's information would 25
result in disclosure of the personal information exempted under 26
(a)(i) through (iii) of this subsection; or 27
(v) For substitute caregivers who are licensed or approved to 28
provide overnight care of children by the department of children, 29
youth, and families. 30
(b) Emergency contact information under this subsection (2) may 31
be provided to appropriate authorities and medical personnel for the 32
purpose of treating the individual during an emergency situation;33
(3) Personal information in files maintained for employees, 34
appointees, or elected officials of any public agency to the extent 35
that disclosure would violate their right to privacy;36
(4) Information required of any taxpayer in connection with the 37
assessment or collection of any tax if the disclosure of the 38
information to other persons would: (a) Be prohibited to such persons 39
p. 3 SB 6106
by RCW 84.08.210, 82.32.330, 84.40.020, 84.40.340, or any ordinance 1
authorized under RCW 35.102.145; or (b) violate the taxpayer's right 2
to privacy or result in unfair competitive disadvantage to the 3
taxpayer; 4
(5) Credit card numbers, debit card numbers, electronic check 5
numbers, card expiration dates, or bank or other financial 6
information as defined in RCW 9.35.005 including social security 7
numbers, except when disclosure is expressly required by or governed 8
by other law; 9
(6) Personal and financial information related to a small loan or 10
any system of authorizing a small loan in RCW 31.45.093;11
(7)(a) Any record used to prove identity, age, residential 12
address, social security number, or other personal information 13
required to apply for a driver's license or identicard.14
(b) Information provided under RCW 46.20.111 that indicates that 15
an applicant declined to register with the selective service system.16
(c) Any record pertaining to a vehicle license plate, driver's 17
license, or identicard issued under RCW 46.08.066 that, alone or in 18
combination with any other records, may reveal the identity of an 19
individual, or reveal that an individual is or was, performing an 20
undercover or covert law enforcement, confidential public health 21
work, public assistance fraud, or child support investigative 22
activity. This exemption does not prevent the release of the total 23
number of vehicle license plates, drivers' licenses, or identicards 24
that, under RCW 46.08.066, an agency or department has applied for, 25
been issued, denied, returned, destroyed, lost, and reported for 26
misuse. 27
(d) Any record pertaining to a vessel registration issued under 28
RCW 88.02.330 that, alone or in combination with any other records, 29
may reveal the identity of an individual, or reveal that an 30
individual is or was, performing an undercover or covert law 31
enforcement activity. This exemption does not prevent the release of 32
the total number of vessel registrations that, under RCW 88.02.330, 33
an agency or department has applied for, been issued, denied, 34
returned, destroyed, lost, and reported for misuse.35
Upon request by the legislature, the department of licensing 36
shall provide a report to the legislature containing all of the 37
information in (c) of this subsection (7) and this subsection (7)(d) 38
that is subject to public disclosure; 39
p. 4 SB 6106
(8) All information related to individual claim resolution 1
settlement agreements submitted to the board of industrial insurance 2
appeals under RCW 51.04.063, other than final orders from the board 3
of industrial insurance appeals. The board of industrial insurance 4
appeals shall provide to the department of labor and industries 5
copies of all final claim resolution settlement agreements;6
(9) Voluntarily submitted information contained in a database 7
that is part of or associated with 911 emergency communications 8
systems, or information contained or used in emergency notification 9
systems as provided under RCW 38.52.575 and 38.52.577;10
(10) Information relating to a future voter, as provided in RCW 11
29A.08.725; 12
(11) All information submitted by a person to the state, either 13
directly or through a state-licensed gambling establishment, or 14
Indian tribes, or tribal enterprises that own gambling operations or 15
facilities with class III gaming compacts, as part of the self-16
exclusion program established in RCW 9.46.071 or 67.70.040 for people 17
with a gambling problem or gambling disorder; 18
(12) Names, addresses, or other personal information of 19
individuals who participated in the bump-fire stock buy-back program 20
under former RCW 43.43.920; ((and))21
(13) All personal and financial information concerning a player 22
that is received or maintained by the state lottery or any contracted 23
lottery vendor except the player's name and city or town of 24
residence. Additional information may be released only in accordance 25
with prior written permission from the player; and26
(14) The name and address of an employee provided to the 27
employment security department by an employer for the notice required 28
under RCW 49.45.020. 29
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. This act is necessary for the immediate 30
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of 31
the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes 32
effect immediately.33
--- END ---
p. 5 SB 6106