This bill creates a new legislative section and amends RCW 1.16.050 to recognize and celebrate the legacy, culture, holidays, and community needs of people of African descent and to designate the last full calendar week in July of each year as "African diaspora heritage week." It modifies existing law governing state legal holidays and employee holiday entitlements by adding that observance as a recognized (non-legal) observance and by restating the list of state legal holidays and rules about when a holiday observed on a weekend is treated as the legal holiday. The bill makes procedural changes to employee leave entitlements: most state employees and employees of political subdivisions (except school district employees and nonclassified higher education employees employed for less than 12 consecutive months) are entitled to one additional paid holiday per year, with timing selected by the employee after consultation under guidelines or local ordinance/resolution. All employees of the state and political subdivisions, including school district employees and the short-term nonclassified higher education employees, are entitled to two unpaid holidays per year for reasons of faith or conscience or for organized religious activities, which an employer must allow unless the absence would impose an "undue hardship"; the Office of Financial Management is to establish the meaning of "undue hardship" by rule under RCW 43.41.109. The amendment also clarifies that when state legal holidays coincide with federal holidays but are observed on different dates, only the state legal holiday is a paid legal holiday for state employees and political subdivisions, while certain entities such as port districts or specified municipal employees may recognize either the federal or state holiday but not both. The text identifies affected entities (state government, political subdivisions, public institutions of higher education, port districts, municipal law enforcement and transit employees, and people of African descent) and cites RCW 1.16.050 and RCW 43.41.109; it also references "2024 c 76 s 3." The document does not provide a statute number or placement for the new section beyond calling it a new section, does not precisely define "last full calendar week of July," and does not include specific timelines or text of the guidelines or OFM rules or an effective date.

If enacted, the bill creates an annual "African diaspora heritage week" in the last full week of July and formally adds that observance to state law, encouraging official commemorations and recognition of the contributions and cultural needs of people of African descent in Washington. State and local governments, public colleges, and community organizations will be the primary hosts of observances, which may mean planning and modest event costs or use of facilities; affected communities may see more official events aimed at elders, youth, and others in the diaspora. For public employers and employees, the bill leaves in place existing rules that most state and political subdivision employees (except school district workers and some short-term higher education nonclassified staff) are entitled to one paid personal holiday per year chosen by the employee after consultation, and that all such employees may take two unpaid days per year for reasons of faith or conscience unless doing so causes an "undue hardship" as later defined by the Office of Financial Management. Practical impacts include potential wage and scheduling costs when employees take paid time off, staffing pressures for public safety and transit roles, and administrative work for local authorities to adopt any needed guidelines; the statute text does not precisely define "last full calendar week," does not include implementation timelines for rules or guidelines, and gives OFM authority to define "undue hardship," so some details about how the policy will be applied remain unclear.