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Statement

MomsRising Lauds WA State Legislature for Passing Bills to Make State More Family Friendly and Fair, Urges Gov. Ferguson to Sign Them Immediately

April 18, 2025
Workplace Justice, Paid Family & Medical Leave, Washington

Lisa Lederer, 202/371-1996

Statement of Maggie Humphreys, Senior Director for Washington State at MomsRising, the online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, including 40,000 in Washington state, on the Washington state legislature passing HB 1213 and SB 5217:

“Our state legislature took vitally important steps this week to make our workplaces more family friendly and fair by passing a bill to expand pregnancy and postpartum workplace accommodations to all employers, regardless of their size, and another that closes a loophole in the state's Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) program that put workers who took paid leave at risk of losing their jobs. Enactment of both these bills would support moms, families, businesses and our state’s economy, and Gov. Ferguson should waste no time in signing them into law.

“HB 1213 - sponsored by Representative Liz Berry - makes our state’s paid family and medical leave system whole by closing a deeply inequitable loophole that left half of workers without any right to get their job back should they need to take leave. While all workers pay into paid family and medical leave, not every worker could afford the risk associated with taking leave, even if they needed it. Lawmakers heard from MomsRising members from Walla Walla to Vancouver who had lost their jobs and income as a result of taking PFML.

"With HB 1213, workers won’t be forced to choose between caring for their family and the job their family depends on. SB 5217 - sponsored by Senator T’wina Nobles - expands the Healthy Starts Act to expand reasonable pregnancy and postpartum workplace accommodations to all employers, regardless of size. It guarantees paid lactation breaks, including travel time if no suitable space is available, and prohibits employers from requiring workers to use meal or rest breaks for pumping. 

“Together, these bills mean that fewer Washingtonians will have to choose between their jobs and their health – or between their paychecks and their family caregiving responsibilities. MomsRising co-led on the policy development and advocacy for both bills alongside our members, who spoke out to lawmakers at hearings, one-on-one meetings, and through petitions..Our state will be stronger when Gov. Ferguson signs HB 1213 and SB 5217 into law. We urge his support.”

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, stop discrimination against women and moms, and build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: www.MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.