At Day 24 today, the state Legislature has moved into the heart of hearings and debate on bills under consideration during the scheduled 60-day session.

Friday of this week will be the first deadline; it’s the last day to read in committee reports from the house of origin, be it the Senate or House of Representatives. Accordingly, Washington Retail’s focus on important bills is narrowing as some bills gain more momentum than others.

Here’s a partial summary of retail-related bills being monitored by Washington Retail:

• House Bill 1159, would change the definition of theft from a retail store to include concealing merchandise with intent to steal it. The bill is currently in the House Rules Committee.
• Senate Bill 6281 would establish guidelines for the handling of private consumer data by sellers and those who process sales information. The state Attorney General would be solely responsible for enforcement. The bill is in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
• Senate Bill 6182, would require closed captioning on televisions on public display. Washington Retail opposes the bill, currently in the Senate Rules Committee.
• House Bill 2496 would set up statewide voluntary recycling of lithium batteries. Battery producers would be required to participate. The bill also establishes statewide battery labeling requirements.
• WR is in support of House Bill 2360 that would require manufacturers to establish a statewide recycling program to collect needles user to inject drugs or medicine. The bill have moved out of a House Committee on Health Care & Wellness.
• WR opposes Senate Bill 6552 that would reduce the number of days from 14 to 7 that a disability would have to continue before receiving workers’ compensation payments. Those opposed say the bill would increase premiums and Labor & Industries’ administrative costs by adding new cases to the workers’ compensation system. The bill is in the Senate Committee on Labor & Commerce.

The WR team is on the front lines advocating for our members on policy, regulatory and political issues across the state. We work hard to ensure that retail can thrive and innovate in Washington. If you are not yet a member of WR let’s connect about our membership options and the myriad of resources available to your company.