This bill reenacts and amends RCW 1.16.050 to revise the list of state legal holidays and to add a list of additional recognized (nonlegal) days, explicitly naming certain religious and cultural observances including Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Eid al‑Fitr, Eid al‑Adha, the births of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh, and Vaisakhi, among many other commemorative days. The bill is presented as creating a new section as well as amending the existing statute. The bill establishes employee holiday entitlements and related procedures. It gives most state and political subdivision employees (excluding school district employees and certain nonclassified higher education employees with appointments under 12 months) one paid holiday per calendar year in addition to listed state legal holidays, chosen after consultation with the employer under guidelines or local ordinance/resolution. It entitles all state and political subdivision employees, including school district employees and the specified nonclassified higher education employees, to two unpaid holidays per calendar year for reasons of faith or conscience or for organized religious activities, with selection after consultation; employers must allow the requested days unless the absence would impose an "undue hardship" (to be defined by rule of the Office of Financial Management under RCW 43.41.109) or the employee is necessary to maintain public safety. The bill also addresses administrative holiday rules: when state legal holidays differ from federal observance dates only one is recognized for pay purposes in most cases, special rules for port districts and certain municipal employees, and weekday substitution when a legal holiday falls on a weekend. The text supplied does not include an effective date, the full content of any new section beyond a legislative findings section, or the rules that will define "undue hardship" or the procedural guidelines referenced.

If enacted, the bill formally adds a list of recognized cultural and religious days (including Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Guru Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh, and Vaisakhi, plus Muslim and other lunar holidays) and changes employee leave rules so that most state and local government employees (but not school district employees or certain short‑term higher education staff) can take one additional paid holiday per year, while all public employees including school districts can take two unpaid days per year for reasons of faith or conscience. Employers must allow the unpaid days unless doing so would cause an “undue hardship” or the employee is needed for public safety; the Office of Financial Management is directed to define “undue hardship” by rule and local personnel authorities must issue guidelines or local ordinances for how days are selected. The groups most affected are state agencies and local governments, including public colleges, port districts, and municipal transit and law enforcement agencies, which will likely face modest added costs and administrative work to track the new paid holiday eligibility, accommodate unpaid leave requests, and staff around absences (potentially using overtime or temporary coverage for public safety roles). School districts lose access to the new paid holiday but must still permit two unpaid religious/conscience days. Key details that affect how burdens will play out—such as the effective date, the exact personnel rules, and the OFM definition of “undue hardship”—are not included in the provided text.