This bill creates a new chapter in Title 49 RCW establishing minimum labor standards and protections for domestic workers. It requires hiring entities to pay at least the state minimum hourly rate (RCW 49.46.020), pay overtime at not less than 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek, prohibit rebates or willful underpayment (with limited lawful withholdings documented in writing), require a written employment agreement in a language understood by both parties along with a rights disclosure, require specified advance written notice before termination (two weeks generally, four weeks for live‑in workers) or severance equal to the standard rate times regular hours for missed notice, mandate recordkeeping of hours/pay/leave with access for the Department of Labor and Industries, and direct the department to provide model disclosures and agreements in at least eight common languages. The bill also authorizes the department to adopt implementing rules and states that wage enforcement is under chapter 49.48 RCW. The bill prohibits certain invasive, coercive, or restrictive practices by hiring entities (for example, retaining personal documents, monitoring private living areas or communications, requiring waivers of legal rights, mandatory predispute arbitration, nondisclosure/nondisparagement clauses that inhibit claims, or noncompetes) and forbids retaliation for exercising rights under the chapter. Enforcement procedures allow the department to investigate complaints, issue citations and notices of assessment, order unpaid earnings plus interest (1% per month from the first date earnings were owed), order restoration to prior or equivalent positions, and assess civil penalties. Under one enforcement path the penalty is the greater of $1,000 or 10% of unpaid earnings attributable to the adverse action, capped at $20,000 for a first violation and $40,000 for a repeat violation; an alternative enforcement provision (new Sec. 7) authorizes $1,000 for a willful violation and $2,000–$20,000 for each repeat willful violation. The bill creates a rebuttable presumption of unlawful adverse action if it occurs within 90 days of a worker exercising rights, provides appeal and reconsideration processes (including appeals to the director and administrative hearings under chapter 34.05 RCW), requires deposit of civil penalties into the supplemental pension fund (RCW 51.44.033), and allows domestic workers to bring civil actions for actual damages plus reasonable attorney fees and costs. The act defines key terms and scopes: “domestic worker” includes nannies, child care providers, home care and personal care workers, housekeepers/cleaners, cooks, gardeners, and household managers who work in private residences and who are paid for four or more hours in any month, while excluding casual labor, certain babysitting or pet/house sitters, individual providers and providers employed by certain funded home care agencies, and family members. “Hiring entity” is broadly defined but excludes state agencies and some funded home care agencies. The bill reenacts and amends RCW 49.46.010 and amends RCW 49.60.230, sections 1–12 constitute the new chapter, and the act takes effect July 1, 2027. The provided text omits some details: the relationship between a 180‑day lookback limit and a separate three‑year limit for investigations is unclear from the excerpts, the full text of sections 6–9 and certain amended RCW language are not included here, and the final sentence about judicial review of the director’s order is cut off.

If enacted, people and businesses who hire nannies, cleaners, caregivers, housekeepers, cooks, gardeners, and similar in-home workers will face immediate new costs and paperwork: they must pay at least state minimum wage, time-and-a-half for hours over 40, create written agreements in a language the worker understands, give advance written notice (or pay severance) when ending employment, keep accessible records of hours, pay and leave, and stop coercive practices like holding immigration documents, spying on private spaces, or forcing mandatory arbitration or nondisclosure that blocks claims. Those employers also face bigger financial risk from complaints and investigations: the department can order unpaid wages plus 1% monthly interest, restoration of positions, and civil penalties that can reach thousands of dollars (with higher sums for repeat or willful violations), and unpaid penalties must be deposited into the state supplemental pension fund. Domestic workers gain clearer, enforceable rights, model forms in several languages, protection from retaliation, and the ability to pursue department enforcement actions or civil lawsuits for damages and attorney fees. The Department of Labor & Industries will need to build and publish model agreements in at least eight languages, investigate complaints under tight timelines (90-day targets, 30-day windows for reconsideration, and appeal paths to the director and administrative judges), and adopt implementing rules, increasing its workload and recordkeeping duties. Some important implementation details are unclear in the provided text — for example, the full list of covered “adverse actions,” how two different lookback limits for investigations (180 days versus three years) operate together, and the contents of sections 6–9 — so agencies and employers will likely need further guidance before July 1, 2027, when the law would take effect.