New Washington state laws regarding guns, pot and drag racing taking effect

Restrictions on testing workers for marijuana use, a 10-day wait for gun purchases, stronger voting rights for Washington residents and harsher penalties for street racing are among new laws that took hold this week.

Washington’s Legislature passed more than 450 bills last session. Most took effect in July, but a handful didn’t until Monday.

Here’s a look at a few notable ones:

Marijuana testing

Although recreational marijuana has been legal for adults in Washington since 2012, some employers in the state still require job applicants to pass a drug test.

Under a new law, employers are blocked from conducting drug tests for cannabis when making hiring decisions. They can still test for other drugs before hiring, and they can test employees for cannabis in certain situations, such as after an accident, if they have suspicions a worker is impaired while on the clock, or to maintain a drug and alcohol-free workplace.

Employers who need to test for pot use to meet federal regulations, such as trucking companies, still can. Other workers, including police, firefighters, airline crews and corrections officers, may still have to test.

10-day gun waiting period

Beginning next year, those wanting to buy a gun in Washington will need to pass a background check and then wait 10 business days before they can complete the purchase.

Supporters say the delay will help save lives, especially for those who may benefit from a “cooling-off” period between wanting to purchase a gun and actually owning one.

The law also requires those wishing to purchase a firearm to take a safety training program within five years.

Hospital staffing

As of Monday, hospitals in Washington need to establish staffing committees made up of nursing staff and administrators.

The committees must approve annual staffing plans, which include certain nurse-to-patient ratios, and submit them by 2025 to the state Department of Health. Hospitals must then begin tracking how often they follow the plans and how often they are not complying. Beginning in 2027, hospitals can be fined if they are not following their approved plans at least 80% of the time.

The staffing committee requirement is part of a larger bill aimed at creating safe staffing standards in hospitals. Nurses have long said that they need new protections to ensure they are caring for a reasonable number of patients and can provide safe and high-quality care. Hospitals have resisted, saying they don’t have the staff to meet the kind of ratios nurses seek.

The law approved this year was a compromise between hospitals and nurse unions.

Street racing

A new law imposes tougher penalties for street racing. Those caught can have their car impounded for 72 hours on the first offense and forfeited on the second one. Those who aiding and abetting street racers can also be charged.

Voting rights

Washington lawmakers approved a state Voting Rights Act in 2018. It is intended to address situations in which there are signs of “polarized” voting among different groups in a community, and where there are risks that some groups are having their votes diluted so that they don’t have a fair opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. The law also allowed local governments to voluntarily reform their election systems to be more representative of their populations and for lawsuits to be filed if the locality refused to take such steps.

An issue with the law is that it can be costly for voters to challenge a local elections system for violations of the act. Changes to the state Voting Rights Act passed earlier this year aim to make it easier for an individual to challenge the system by allowing an organization or a tribe to challenge election systems on an individual member’s behalf. It also provides a pathway for people or organizations to recover costs they incur when researching the possible legal challenges.

Newspaper publisher tax exemption

Newspaper and digital publishers who fit certain criteria will get a business and occupation tax exemption starting next year.

Publishers previously had a 0.35% business and occupation tax rate, applied to any business activities conducted within the state.

The goal of the exemption is to help support local journalism in Washington and to help retain publishing jobs and news outlets.

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