This bill amends RCW 41.80.075 to state that RCW 41.56.065 applies to employers subject to chapter 41.80 RCW and to provide temporary liability relief. Specifically, it says that until the "one Washington enterprise resource management project human resources subproject (phase 2)" is completed and fully implemented, an employer may not be held liable under RCW 41.80.075 or RCW 41.56.065 if the employer is unable to provide the information required under that section because of limitations of the employer’s current technological systems. Legally, the change modifies existing law by adding a procedural/administrative liability protection tied to the completion of a named IT implementation project. The affected parties are employers covered by chapter 41.80 RCW (public employers) and related parties referenced in the bill; portions of struck text mention several state higher education institutions. The amendment references RCW 41.56.065 and 2023 c 204 s 4. Important details are missing from the extracted text: the bill does not show the full prior text of RCW 41.80.075, it does not specify what exact "information required under this section" is, it does not define the One Washington project phase 2 timeline or administrative owner, and no effective date or final approval/filing date is provided. Procedural history available: prefiled 12/02/25, read first time 01/12/26, passed the Senate 03/05/26 (Yeas 44, Nays 4), and passed the House 03/09/26 (Yeas 92, Nays 3).

If enacted, public employers covered by chapter 41.80 will generally not face liability for failing to provide certain employer information when that failure is caused by limitations of their current technology systems, until the One Washington enterprise resource management project human resources subproject (phase 2) is completed and fully implemented. Practically, that reduces the immediate legal and financial risk for those employers (including several state higher education institutions referenced in the bill text) by deferring enforcement tied to those tech-driven information gaps and may lower near-term costs from litigation, penalties, or bargaining disputes tied to the missing information. Employees and their exclusive bargaining representatives are most affected in the opposite way: they may experience delays or reduced recourse in obtaining employer information they are entitled to while liability is suspended. Key details are missing that affect how long this relief lasts and exactly what information is covered, because the bill does not define the specific data at issue, set a completion timeline or owner for the One Washington HR subproject, or state an effective date.