Concerning prohibiting fees on certain acts of commerce to protect tipped wages for workers while reducing the financial burden on employers.

 S-0054.2

SENATE BILL 5070

State of Washington

69th Legislature

2025 Regular Session

By Senators Saldaña, Hasegawa, Conway, Cortes, Fortunato, Krishnadasan, Lovelett, Nobles, Orwall, Stanford, Trudeau, Valdez, Wellman, and J. Wilson

Prefiled 12/16/24. Read first time 01/13/25. Referred to Committee on Labor & Commerce.

AN ACT Relating to prohibiting fees on certain acts of commerce to protect tipped wages for workers while reducing the financial burden on employers; amending RCW 49.46.020 ; adding a new chapter to Title 19 RCW; and providing an effective date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that the use of credit or debit cards can prevent an employee from receiving the full amount of their earned tips and gratuities. Currently some employers deduct a proportional amount of any fees the employer is assessed on a credit or debit card transaction from an employee's tip.

(2) The legislature also finds that credit or debit card usage in commercial transactions places an undue financial burden on merchants required to collect taxes on behalf of the state of Washington when the merchant must pay fees assessed on the taxed amount.