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Sexual harassment, equal pay, and women’s health bills signed into law

It was a packed room as Governor Inslee signed a series of bills Wednesday morning aimed at improving women’s health, deterring sexual harassment in the workplace, and ensuring equal pay. The Senate Democrats are referring to the package of legislation as the “Putting Women First” bills.

Sexual Harassment:

Senator Karen Keiser’s trio of bills to stop sexual harassment in the workplace were all signed into law this morning. During session, all three bills passed unanimously in both the House and Senate.

SB 5996 prohibits employers from requiring employees to sign nondisclosure agreements related to sexual harassment or assault that occurs in the workplace or between work colleagues. The bill also prohibits employers from retaliating against an employee who reports harassment or assault.

Another bill, SB 6313, ensures employees’ rights to publicly pursue a cause of action under the Washington Law Against Discrimination and voids any provisions or agreements that might try to force employees to waive those rights.

The third bill requires the Human Rights Commission to put together a work group to develop best practices and policies to keep work places safe and free of sexual harassment.

“I have been working on addressing sexual harassment for quite some time, and passing this group of bills is great news for the women of Washington,” said Keiser in a press release. “Right now, we are seeing a cultural shift when it comes to what is acceptable in the workplace. Women are demanding a change, and it is incumbent that those with power listen. The fact that these bills were passed unanimously by both Democrats and Republicans shows how seriously the Legislature is taking this issue.”

To learn more about these bills, and the sponsor behind them, take a look at our Q&A with Senator Keiser from January on these three bills.

Women’s Health:

Gov. Inslee also signed the Reproductive Parity Act, a bill that mandates health plans cover contraceptives without cost-sharing, requires those that cover maternity care to also cover abortion services, and requires a literature review on disparities in reproductive health access. The bill, sponsored by Senator Hobbs, was originally introduced in 2012 but failed to make it to the Senate floor when Democrats were in the minority. This year, the bill passed in the Senate by a vote of 27-22 and passed in the House on a 50-48 vote.

“Washington state has long strived to ensure women control their own reproductive destiny,” said Senator Hobbs. “This law guarantees that right and also helps provide a little more certainty for women in our state. At a time when access to health care and services are at risk all across our country, I’m proud that once again our state has stood up to protect these rights.”

Other women’s health-related bills signed today include SB 5912, a bill requiring coverage of 3-D mammography, and SB 5084, which requires health facilities to provide timely information to help improve early detection of breast cancer.

Equal Pay:

The Equal Pay Opportunity Act, HB 1506, was also signed into law on Wednesday.

On average, a white woman working full time in Washington earns 74.6 cents for every dollar her male counterpart earns. The numbers for women of color are even worse. African American women on average make 61.1 cents, Native American women make 59.8 cents, and Latinas make 46.3 cents.

The new bill modifies the Equal Pay Act of 1943 by prohibiting pay secrecy policies, ensuring administrative and civil remedies when violations to the act occur, and setting clear standards for the term “similarly employed.” The bill also prohibits career advancement discrimination based on gender and prohibits backlash or retaliation for discussing wages in the workplace.

“With this bill, Washington State is not only updating our 75-yr old equal pay law, but once again leading the country with equal pay policy,” said Rep. Tana Senn, prime sponsor of House Bill 1506. “Protecting women from bias in career advancement opportunities is a new step to help battle equal pay disparities.”


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