Event Details

Equal Pay & Opportunities Act (EPOA) (SHB 1905 Implementation)

Stakeholder Meeting on Rulemaking
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
10 a.m.

Location

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device, or participate by phone (audio only)
Click here to register for the meeting. Attendees need to register prior to the meeting using: Password 9NWZ@8eB, Telephone ID 828 0096 0231, and Passcode 83012895. 

Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email and calendar item with your personal meeting link or phone number and the password. On the day/time of the meeting, you will need to click on that link or call, enter the appropriate password and then you will be in attendance. (Note: Please check spam or junk mail for this confirmation email as it will be coming from Zoom.)

Details

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries’ (L&I) Employment Standards Program has released a preliminary draft of the rules it is developing for the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act. L&I is developing the rules to prepare for upcoming changes to the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act created by the passage of Substitute House Bill 1905 earlier this year. These rules will help employers comply with the law and help workers understand their new protections. The bill expands existing worker protections against pay and promotion discrimination based on gender under the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act to include race, creed, military status, and other protected classes.

L&I initiated rulemaking on Aug. 6 by filing a Preproposal Statement of Inquiry (CR-101). You can find the preliminary rule language on the Equal and Opportunities Act engagement page.

L&I is accepting written comments on the preliminary draft until Sep. 27. You can submit comments by email or during an upcoming stakeholder meeting. L&I is holding three stakeholder meetings to share information, respond to questions, and receive comments. The meetings on Sept 17 and 19 will be in-person, and the Sept 18 meeting will be held virtually.

Interpretation services can be provided at no cost to you when you request them ahead of time. Se le pueden proporcionar servicios de interpretación sin costo alguno si los solicita con anticipación.

There will be additional opportunities for stakeholder participation and feedback throughout this rulemaking process, including a formal comment period and public hearings in early 2025. Updates regarding the rulemaking process will be posted on the L&I Rulemaking Activity page.

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