These new WA state laws go into effect Jan. 1. Here’s key information you need to know
The new year brought plenty of new laws to Washington state. Several new state laws passed in 2024, ranging from a ban on cosmetics tested on animals to a new law around negligent driving. They went into effect on Jan. 1.
Here are some of the most notable aspects of the new laws, and how they’ll impact Washington residents.
New WA employee protections
A handful of new employee protection laws take effect Wednesday, including changes to the state’s sick leave regulations.
Under previous state law, employees were allowed to use their paid sick leave to care for a child, parent, spouse, registered domestic partner, grandchild, grandparent or sibling who’s ill. Starting Jan. 1, the list of family members that Washingtonians can take sick leave to care for is expanded to include the spouse of their child and anyone living with them whom they’d be expected to take care of.
Additionally, previous law allowed employees to take time off to care for a child when their school or place of care is closed due to any health-related reason. In 2025, that is expanded to allow employees to use sick leave when a child’s school or place of care is closed due to a government emergency declaration as well. Both changes apply to rideshare app drivers as well.
Another notable change adds protections for workers who have been injured on the job.
The state runs a program called Stay at Work for WA Cares Fund employers. The Stay at Work program subsidizes injured employees’ return to light work at companies insured by the state’s Department of Labor and Industries.
Previously, the program reimbursed employers for half of the employee’s wages over a maximum of 66 days (up to $10,000), as well as $1,000 in tuition assistance, $400 for any clothing costs associated with the employee’s return, and $2,500 in tools and equipment.
A new law, which passed unanimously, went into effect on Jan. 1. It expands the Stay at Work program to cover 120 days worth of wages up to $25,000 and $2,000 for books, fees, materials and tuition. Clothing costs have increased to $1,000, and up to $5,000 is now available for tools and equipment.
For workers diagnosed with a permanent disability that prevents them from returning to their old job, L&I now offers up to $10,000 for job modification and vocational rehabilitation, doubling the amount available under current law. The state’s Preferred Worker Program, which incentivizes employers to hire people who have been injured at a previous job, is affected as well.
The maximum subsidy under the program increased from $10,000 to $25,000, and the requirement that work be approved by a health care provider is removed.
Another new law exempts licensed practical nurses, nursing assistants, radiology technologists, cardiovascular invasive specialists and respiratory care practitioners from a statute that lets certain medical practices require some employees to work overtime. The changes went into effect on Jan. 1 for most facilities and on July 1 for some others – primarily critical access hospitals, sole community hospitals, and hospitals with fewer than 25 acute care beds.
While technically not a new law – the rate is adjusted each year to account for inflation – Washington is also getting a new minimum wage in 2025. Starting Jan. 1, Washington’s 2025 minimum wage is set at $16.66 an hour, up from $16.28 in 2024, although individual cities can opt for a higher rate.
New negligent driver law
One of the most notable new laws concerns penalties for reckless driving. Previous state law considers second degree negligent driving – reckless driving that endangers and injures others but isn’t done under the influence of drugs or alcohol – punishable by a $250 fine. That number rises to a maximum of $5,000 with a 90-day license suspension if a reckless driver endangers a pedestrian or someone riding a bike, a crime considered second degree negligent driving with a vulnerable user victim.
The new law, starting Jan. 1, establishes a new charge: first degree reckless driving with a vulnerable user victim. If someone is driving recklessly and endangers a pedestrian or biker, leading them to be killed, they’ll be subject to up to 364 days in jail and a fine of at least $1,000 and up to $5,000, in addition to a 90-day license suspension. If the victim is injured but not killed, the second degree charge remains in place under the new law.
Other notable laws
Among the other new laws in 2025 is a ban on the sale of animal-tested cosmetics. There are a few exceptions, however, including cosmetics that were tested in a different country and complied with that country’s regulations, as well as ones that contain an ingredient that was tested on animals for non-cosmetic purposes.
The state’s Diversion Cash Assistance program, which provides emergency funds for low-income families, gets a boost in the new year. Its maximum payout rose from $1,500 to $2,000 on Jan. 1.
What about a WA hate crime reporting hotline?
The law establishing a statewide hotline for reporting hate crimes and bias incidents went into effect Jan. 1, but that doesn’t mean the hotline will be open right away. The law tasks the Attorney General’s Office with establishing a pilot program in three counties by July 1, 2025.
The statewide hotline will be implemented by Jan. 1, 2027.