This bill adds a new section to chapter 50.20 RCW creating a specific unemployment-insurance rule for separations that occur on or after June 14, 2026. Under the new provision, the commissioner may find an individual to be unemployed through no fault of their own if three conditions are met: the employer first announced in writing a planned workforce reduction or layoff and said employees could offer to be included; the individual offered to be one of those included; and the employer terminated the individual's employment as a result of those layoff or reduction-in-force plans. The bill also states that an employer may allow an employee to rescind their offer to be included in the layoff and that allowing rescission does not disqualify the individual from benefits if the separation otherwise meets the listed requirements. The new section does not apply where the employer modifies benefits or otherwise encourages early retirement or early separation and the employer and employee do not comply with the three required findings. This is a statutory change adding a new eligibility rule to the unemployment insurance chapter (a new section to chapter 50.20 RCW). The text provided does not specify the new section number, does not define the terms “commissioner” or “separating employer,” and does not include implementing procedures, forms, appeal processes, or any related amendments elsewhere in chapter 50.20 RCW. The bill passed the House on February 10, 2026, and the Senate on March 6, 2026.

If enacted, workers who volunteer to be included in a written, employer-announced layoff or reduction-in-force and are later terminated will generally qualify for unemployment benefits for separations on or after June 14, 2026; employers may let employees rescind that volunteer offer without causing disqualification, and the rule does not apply to situations framed as early retirement or benefit changes that don’t follow the written-volunteer process. The unemployment insurance program and the commissioner will need to review and make findings on these cases, so the program will likely see more claims of this type and must process them. Employers that run volunteer layoff programs are most affected: they will face more eligibility determinations and likely more unemployment claims tied to those programs, which could increase their administrative burden and financial exposure; the commissioner’s office gains responsibility to adjudicate these findings. Key implementation details are missing from the text provided — for example exact definitions of terms, how the commissioner will administratively apply the rule, and any appeal or form procedures — so the precise administrative and cost impacts remain uncertain.