SB 5852 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Concerning immigrant worker protections.

SB 5852 requires Washington employers to notify workers and their representatives within 72 hours if a federal agency conducts an inspection of employment verification forms (I-9) or worker records. It mandates posting multilingual notices in workplaces and sending written notices to all current and recent workers (within the last three years), including details about the federal agency and inspection. The law aims to ensure immigrant workers are informed during federal immigration enforcement actions, with notices required in the five most commonly used non-English languages in the state. Employers must also provide affected workers with copies of federal inspection results. This applies to all Washington employers, including state agencies and businesses.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Dec 8, 2025 Last action Feb 2, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill Substitute Bill · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to shift sponsorship to the Senate Labor & Commerce committee and update the reading date. The most significant substantive change is the removal of the requirement for employers to individually notify workers within 72 hours of an I-9 audit, replacing it with a mandate for the Attorney General to create a model notice and provide guidance by September 2026. Additionally, the definition of a 'worker's authorized representative' was narrowed to exclude third parties designated by the worker, limiting who can receive official notices.
Scope change
The bill's scope regarding employer obligations was narrowed by removing the direct duty for employers to conduct individual notifications to workers during federal inspections, shifting that responsibility to the Attorney General's guidance and model notices.
REQUIREMENT

Removed the specific mandate requiring employers to provide individual written and telephonic notice to workers within 72 hours of receiving federal inspection notifications.

Changed the Attorney General's deadline to develop posters and model notices from July 1, 2026, to September 1, 2026, and added a requirement for outreach through October 1, 2027.

DEFINITION

Narrowed the definition of 'worker's authorized representative' to only include exclusive collective bargaining representatives, removing the option for workers to designate third-party representatives.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill header to reflect sponsorship by the Senate Labor & Commerce committee and changed the reading date to February 2, 2026.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
8
Key actions
3
Committee
5
Feb 2, 2026
Committee
Referred to Ways & Means.
upper
Jan 30, 2026
Upper · Passed
Minority; do not pass.
upper
Jan 30, 2026
Committee
And refer to Ways & Means.
upper
Jan 30, 2026
Upper · Passed
Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Labor & Commerce at 8:00 AM.
upper
Jan 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Labor & Commerce at 10:30 AM.
upper
1 primary · 26 co-sponsors

Sponsors