Why today is a big day for women in Olympia
Mar 21, 2018, 10:32 AM | Updated: 3:12 pm
It’s a big day for women in Olympia with Governor Jay Inslee set to sign a package of bills for women’s health, equal pay, and protections against sexual harassment in the workplace.
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Four bills born out of the Me Too movement will be signed March 21.
Senate Bill 5996 prohibits employers from requiring non-disclosure agreements that bar workers from disclosing sexual harassment in the workplace.
Senate Bill 6313 voids employee contracts that require workers to waive their rights to file sexual harassment complaints under state and federal anti-discrimination laws — or requires those complaints be resolved through arbitration.
A third bill, Senate Bill 6068 aims to shed light on repeat offenders by making non-disclosure agreements unenforceable for witness testimony in past instances of sexual harassment or sexual assault.
And the fourth bill Senate Bill 6471 requires the creation of a task force through the Human Rights Commission to create model policies for employers to protect against sexual harassment in the workplace. The policies would have to be posted on the Human Rights Commission’s website by next year, as well as L&Is website.
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The governor will also sign the Reproductive Parity Act Senate Bill 6219, requiring insurance companies that cover maternity care to cover abortions. It requires most insurance companies to cover contraceptives with no co-pay.
The first update to the state’s Equal Pay Act since 1943 will also be signed by the governor.
House Bill 1506 allows workers to file complaints with L&I if they feel their gender is the basis for wage discrimination when they’re doing jobs requiring a similar skill level and conditions as co-workers making more money.
It also bars employers from limiting promotions based on gender and from prohibiting employees to talk about their pay or asking others about theirs through non-disclosure agreements. They also can’t retaliate against workers who ask about their pay, why it is what it is, or encouraging co-workers to do the same.
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