WR is closely monitoring the bills that have advanced through the legislative process. Each week, we’ll spotlight our weekly “hot list” key legislation that could have the most significant impact on WR members.
Grocery Algorithmic Pricing (HB 2481)
This bill targets “surveillance-based price discrimination” and “surge pricing” in retail/grocery settings, but as drafted remains overly broad and could unintentionally restrict routine, consumer-friendly pricing practices such as sales/markdowns, flash discounts, coupons, loyalty offers, and targeted discounts for groups like seniors and veterans. The House committee version also includes an electronic shelf label moratorium for certain larger stores and a Commerce study/report. WR is working closely with grocery retail partners on amendments to narrow definitions and explicitly protects standard promotional pricing, with the goal of moving from oppose to neutral if meaningful changes are adopted.
Position: WR opposes; goal is neutrality through meaningful amendments.
Status: In House Appropriations (referred Jan 30); public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations scheduled Thurs., Feb 5 (10:30 AM), executive session in the House Committee on Appropriations scheduled Sat., Feb 7 (9:00 AM); companion SB 6312 was scheduled for executive session Feb 4 – no action taken.
Commercial Electronic Mail Act (CEMA) (SB 5976/HB 2274)
CEMA legislation update: There was significant movement this week. HB 2274 was voted out of the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee on Tuesday, February 3, and has now been referred to the Rules Committee. The bill is intended to clarify the law following a recent court interpretation that has sparked a sharp increase in litigation over routine marketing emails. Despite this progress, opponents of the bill are actively working to slow or derail it. Some of this opposition is coming from trial attorneys who have a direct financial interest in preserving the current ambiguity, and who have been circulating misleading claims about the bill’s impact. To date, just 23 law firms, most of them based outside Washington, have filed nearly 80 lawsuits targeting email subject lines under CEMA. This pattern should be a clear signal to the legislature that Washington is being viewed as a weak and favorable venue for exploitation of a litigation loophole.
Position: WR supports this bill.
Status: HB 2274/CEMA passed the House committee today by a vote of 12-3; SB 5976 was scheduled for exec session in Senate Business, Trade & Economic Development Committee Wed., Feb. 4 – no action taken.
Establishing a security guards industry standard board (HB 2524)
This bill would establish a state security guards industry standards board with authority to set minimum requirements for training, wages, benefits, and working conditions, plus enforcement mechanisms. Training required in this bill, however, are basic workers rights instead of safety related concerns expressed during committee hearing. LNI’s Division of Safety and Health sets standards for safety and the Department of Licensing is the agency to set professional training standards. Funding of this board will come from license fee and workers’ comp premiums.
Position: WR is opposed to this bill.
Status: Exec’d out of the House Labor Committee on Feb. 3; Referred to Appropriates for hearing on Feb. 5.
DOR “technical” tax-administration cleanup bills (HB 2257 / SB 6113)
These bills make technical corrections/clarifications and administrative efficiencies in tax law administered by DOR (stated as not estimated to affect state/local tax) but Sec. 26 is a high-impact trigger: if any current exclusion from the “advertising services” definition is ruled invalid, the bill would void the entire exclusion section and explicitly signals legislative intent to broadly treat advertising services as a retail sale, creating a pathway to sales tax applying across many traditional advertising formats, while also reinforcing a viewer-location sourcing concept for advertising (taxed based on where ads are viewed/interacted with).
Position: WR opposes this bill unless amended to remove/narrow Sec. 26 (nonseverability “blow-up” clause) and prevent unintended expansion of sales tax to broadly-defined advertising services.
Status: HB 2257 executive action taken in the House Committee on Finance FIN – Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass; SB 6113 is in Senate Ways & Means (public hearing held Jan 22).
Reducing environmental impacts of retail bags (SB 5965)
This bill would ban plastic carryout bags statewide and adjust related carryout bag policies; while the bill was introduced with a higher paper-bag fee concept, the version that advanced keeps the paper bag pass-through at $0.08 and adds a restaurant off-site consumption exemption, while also allowing compostable film bags to be made from materials including potato starch. The Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee approved the amended bill on party lines, and it has now been referred to Senate Ways & Means, where it is waiting for further action.
Position: WR is opposed to this bill.
Status: Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means on Thurs., Feb 5 (1:30 PM)
