2024 Legislative Session
The Workforce Board advises the Governor and Legislature on workforce development policy to shape strategies and create and sustain a high-skill, high-wage economy.
Partner Agency Requests
View partner agency requests endorsed by the Workforce Board.
2024 Budget Provisos
New: See the full list of workforce-related budget items, or provisos, that passed the 2024 Legislature. This list is preliminary until the Governor signs the state budget. If you would like this list in a sortable Microsoft Excel file, please contact Michelle Pierce.
Updated 3.11.2024
Workforce Board staff were tracking the following bills of broad interest to workforce stakeholders.
These workforce-related bills that have passed the 2024 Legislature.
Bill | Title | Original Sponsor | Status |
HB 1146 | Dual credit program notice | Paul | Del to Gov |
ESHB 1589 | Clean energy | Doglio | Del to Gov |
SHB 1870 | Local comm. federal funding | Barnard | Del to Gov |
SHB 1889 | Professionals/immigration | Walen | Del to Gov |
SHB 1892 | Workforce housing prg. | Leavitt | Del to Gov |
HB 1898 | Unempl. benefit charging | Schmidt | Del to Gov |
HB 1901 | Unempl. voluntary program | Springer | Del to Gov |
SHB 1905 | Equal pay/protected classes | Mena | Del to Gov |
HB 1917 | Physician assistant compact | Leavitt | Del to Gov |
SHB 1924 | Fusion technology policies | Shavers | Del to Gov |
2SHB 1941 | Health home serv./children | Couture | Del to Gov |
SHB 1942 | Long-term care providers | Fosse | Del to Gov |
HB 1943 | National guard ed. grants | Leavitt | Del to Gov |
HB 1946 | Behav. health scholarship | Eslick | Del to Gov |
HB 1950 | Student loans/PSLF | Slatter | C 2 L 24 |
HB 1975 | Unemployment overpayments | Ortiz-Self | C 8 L 24 |
HB 1982 | Broadband loans & grants | Waters | Del to Gov |
HB 2004 | Military student early reg. | McEntire | Del to Gov |
2SHB 2014 | Definition of veteran | Volz | Del to Gov |
ESHB 2019 | Native American apprentices | Stearns | Del to Gov |
2SHB 2084 | Construction training/DOC | Fosse | Del to Gov |
HB 2110 | High school graduation | Nance | Del to Gov |
HB 2111 | Subsidized child care | Nance | Del to Gov |
2SHB 2124 | Child care prg. eligibility | Eslick | Del to Gov |
SHB 2195 | Early learning facilities | Callan | Del to Gov |
2SHB 2214 | College grant/public assist. | Slatter | Del to Gov |
SHB 2216 | State employee degree reqs. | Cheney | Del to Gov |
SHB 2226 | H-2A worker program data | Ortiz-Self | Del to Gov |
SHB 2230 | Economic security grants | Peterson | Del to Gov |
ESHB 2236 | Tech. ed. core plus programs | Shavers | Del to Gov |
E2SHB 2247 | Behavioral health providers | Bateman | Del to Gov |
E2SHB 2311 | First responder wellness | Davis | Del to Gov |
HB 2415 | Economic assistance/TANF | Cortes | Del to Gov |
ESHB 2441 | College in the HS fees | Corry | Del to Gov |
ESSB 5481 | Uniform telehealth act | Cleveland | Del to Gov |
E2SSB 5670 | Running start/rising juniors | Hawkins | Del to Gov |
ESSB 5793 | Paid sick leave | Saldaña | Del to Gov |
E2SSB 5838 | AI task force | Nguyen | Del to Gov |
2SSB 5882 | Prototypical school staffing | Stanford | Del to Gov |
SB 5904 | Financial aid terms | Nobles | Del to Gov |
E2SSB 5908 | Extended foster care | Wilson, C. | Del to Gov |
SSB 5936 | Palliative care work group | Conway | Del to Gov |
SSB 5940 | Medical assistant-EMT cert. | Van De Wege | Del to Gov |
ESSB 5950 | Operating budget, supp. | Robinson | Del to Gov |
SSB 5953 | Incarcerated student grants | Wilson, C. | Del to Gov |
SB 5979 | Construction worker leave | Keiser | Del to Gov |
ESSB 6007 | Grocery workers | Conway | Del to Gov |
ESSB 6038 | Child care tax preference | Wilson, C. | Del to Gov |
SSB 6053 | Education data sharing | Holy | Del to Gov |
ESB 6089 | Electrical inspector reqs. | King | Del to Gov |
ESSB 6286 | Nurse anesthetist workforce | Rivers | Del to Gov |
ESB 6296 | Retail industry work group | Boehnke | Del to Gov |
The following 2024 Workforce Board budget requests have been submitted to the Office of Financial Management for review.
WAVE Modernization
The Washington Award for Vocational Excellence (WAVE) scholarship celebrates top CTE students at Washington high schools and community and technical colleges. As many as 147 awardees, three from each legislative district, are selected annually to receive a two-year college scholarship. WAVE was paused in 2010 due to budget cutbacks and relaunched in 2022 at only 2/3 the needed funding level. Students submit their applications through an aging online portal that requires significant one-on-one staff support to ensure successful submission. Requested funds will allow the purchase and launch of cloud-based scholarship management software, and the full scholarship level for each WAVE awardee.
Digital Literacy and IT Career Equity
Washington’s employers face a serious skilled IT worker shortage. Many people from disadvantaged and marginalized communities are unable to access these jobs, which offer outstanding wages and career opportunities. Public, private, state, and local collaborators will work together to close race, gender, ability, and other disparities in accessing and filling IT-related jobs. Partners will create, expand or scale on-ramps to opportunities, through digital literacy education and credentials, an IT Service Corps, mentorship, and an industry-informed education and career navigation tool, among other activities. Funds will also support worker preparation for thousands of new jobs created from federal grants.
LPN Apprenticeship Continuation
The developing Home Care Aide/Nursing Assistant Certified to Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Registered Apprenticeship Program has made significant strides towards establishing a nursing career pathway that is an alternative to traditional nurse training. The LPN Registered Apprenticeship Program will open career opportunities to entry-level staff in the long-term care sector into positions of greater responsibility and financial success while continuing their current employment during training. Funding through FY27 will allow two full cohorts of apprentices to complete the Registered Apprenticeship Program and will allow us to support program expansion and measure the program’s impact through evaluation while building sustainability after state funding ends. The cost of this continuation funding is $2.4 million over the FY26–FY27 biennium.
Workforce Board Statutory Operation
The Workforce Board requests maintenance budget adjustments to support certain critical activities and functions necessary to comply with federal and state mandates. Request includes match to optimize federal CTE funds; provide cross-agency research and evaluation; and restart dedicated services and activities to fully engage our business customers. Each functional area is rooted in either federal or state statutes, and/or aligns with a strategic priority within the statutorily required state strategic plan for workforce development. Each area also is designed to leverage federal, state, or philanthropic resources, and to maximize benefits for workers, employers, and communities of all types.
Human Resources Support
The Workforce Board has no dedicated human resources professional for training, recruitment, personnel issues, and other HR duties. Instead, this work is done by a few members of the fiscal and management team, who lack formal training and expertise for this work. Routine HR issues are being handled, but there is always a risk of a more serious issue that may require the work of a professional HR staff. Additionally, support is needed for items such as coaching, training and recruitment. These services will enable our agency to focus on our primary mission, with the confidence that the HR functions are being handled appropriately. Small Agency services at the Department of Enterprise Services provides this resource to other similarly sized agencies who may not have the inhouse capacity or expertise for these sometimes complex services.
WaTech Small Agency IT Services
The Workforce Board requests funding to onboard the WaTech Small Agency IT Services to bring the agency’s IT in alignment with modern standards and practices. Ongoing funding is needed to utilize WaTech Small Agency IT Services. These services would allow the agency to meet current IT and cybersecurity needs and integrate into the state enterprise environment for better connectivity with other state and local agencies.
Dec. 4, 2023: House Healthcare and Wellness Committee
Policy Associate Renee Fullerton, Health Care Senior Researcher Chris Dula, and Long-Term Workforce Policy Manager Donald Smith, gave an overview of the Health Workforce Council and the Long Term Care Initiative.
Jan. 12, 2024: Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee
Policy Associate Renee Fullerton testifies in support of Senate Bill 6035, which seeks to better promote the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program to qualifying public service employees.
Jan. 17, 2024: House Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee
Workforce Board Co-Chair Larry Brown and Executive Director Eleni Papadakis testify on House Bill 2155, Creating the Washington Credential Registry.
Jan. 17, 2024: House Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee
Workforce Board Co-Chair Larry Brown testifies on House Bill 2360, the Washington Digital Empowerment and Workforce Inclusion Act.
Jan. 19, 2024: House Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee
Executive Director Eleni Papadakis testifies on House Bill 2360, the Washington Digital Empowerment and Workforce Inclusion Act.
Jan. 24, 2024: House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee
Career Pathways Manager Joe Wilcox testified in support of House Bill 2216, aimed at reducing barriers to state employment by reducing unnecessary degree requirements.
Jan. 24, 2024: House Human Services, Youth and Early Learning Committee
Workforce Service Integration Manager Drew Cassidy testifies in support of House Bill 2230, which seeks to codify the state Economic Security for All grant program.