2025 session recap: New laws supporting nurse safety and worker rights
Washington’s 2025 session ended with new laws to protect nurses from workplace violence and support striking workers, plus a state budget that boosts health and education funding.
May 22, 2025 • 1 minute, 52 seconds to read
The Washington State Legislature adjourned sine die (a Latin phrase meaning "without a day to reconvene") on April 27, closing out a tumultuous and emotionally charged session marked by significant political tension, major fiscal challenges, and the deaths of two legislators. From the opening days, the atmosphere was fraught with division. Deep ideological splits over how to address the state’s financial crisis created an environment in which lawmakers frequently clashed not only along party lines but also within their own caucuses.
Bills passed
Since this is the first year of the biennium, any bills that did not pass remain alive for consideration in the 2026 session.
This year, WSNA began the legislative session with five priorities, three of which died throughout the legislative process.
The following two bills passed:
Workplace violence in healthcare settings
HB 1162 builds off the workplace violence prevention law passed in 2019 by 1) requiring a more regular and detailed review of workplace violence incident-related data by the committee, and 2) making updates to the safety plans annually instead of every three years. This bill passed the legislature with unanimous support.
Gov. Ferguson signed the bill into law on Saturday, May 19, 2025, and the law is effective Jan. 1, 2026.
Unemployment insurance for striking workers
SB 5041 allows striking and lockout individuals to receive up to six weeks of unemployment insurance after a two-week waiting period. This is a massive step towards leveling the playing field for workers and encouraging employers to bargain in good faith.
Governor Ferguson, alongside hundreds of workers, signed this bill into law on Monday, May 19, 2025. The law will take effect Jan. 1, 2026, and has a 10-year sunset clause, meaning the state legislature will need to vote on whether to renew the bill or let it die in 2036. Washington joins New York and New Jersey as the only states that provide such benefits to striking workers.
State budget
The $78 billion two-year budget Gov. Ferguson signed on May 20 raises state spending by more than 8%, or $6 billion over the current two-year budget. Ferguson defended the budget as "maintaining core services" and boosting funding by more than $1 billion for public schools. While some states have started to cut services such as cash assistance to poor families and Medicaid, Ferguson said "in Washington, we are holding the line."
The final revenue package supporting the budget included an increase in business and occupation (B&O) tax rates and an additional surcharge on businesses with more than $250 million in state taxable revenue. The legislature also passed bills that established new revenue including a sales tax on tech services and a capital gains tax on investment gains over $1 million. A slimmed-down version of the wealth tax passed the Senate in the final hours of session but was not taken up by the House.
Governor Ferguson signed the budget bill into law on Tuesday, May 21.
WSNA will have a more detailed legislative wrap-up in the next issue of The Washington Nurse.