Creating a wage replacement program for certain Washington workers excluded from unemployment insurance.

 S-1734.1

SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5626

State of Washington

69th Legislature

2025 Regular Session

By Senate Labor & Commerce (originally sponsored by Senators Saldaña, Lovelett, Valdez, Cortes, Alvarado, Orwall, Kauffman, Slatter, Dhingra, Frame, Hasegawa, Nobles, Stanford, and C. Wilson)

READ FIRST TIME 02/21/25.

AN ACT Relating to creating a wage replacement program for certain Washington workers excluded from unemployment insurance; amending RCW 50.29.041 and 50.24.014 ; reenacting and amending RCW 42.56.410 and 50.29.025 ; adding a new chapter to Title 50 RCW; creating a new section; and prescribing penalties.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise. In addition, the definitions in chapter 50.04 RCW apply, except as otherwise provided in this section. To the extent such definitions in chapter 50.04 RCW refer to "benefits" and "claimant," for the purposes of administering the wage replacement program in this chapter those terms mean the same as "payments" and "applicant" as defined in this section.

(1) "Applicant" means an individual applying for payments under this chapter.