New Laws for Washington State Small Businesses in 2022
January 6, 2022
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New Laws for Washington State Businesses in 2022
By Stacia Hofmann
With a new year comes new laws. The following business-related laws were passed by the Washington State Legislature, will impact small businesses, and went into effect on January 1, 2022.
RCW 49.46.020: Minimum wage in the State of Washington increased from $13.69 per hour to $14.49 per hour. Cities can set their own minimum wage above the state minimum wage. In Seattle, employers with less than 500 employees must now pay a minimum wage of $15.75 to $17.27 per hour (depending on the company’s medical benefits and tip policies). Employers with more than 500 employees must pay a minimum wage of $17.27 per hour.
RCW Ch. 48.84: The controversial law that requires all employers to collect, and all employees (except those with private long-term care insurance policies) to pay, .58% of wages into the state’s common fund for long-term care benefits has been put on hold from January 2022 until at least April 2022 (but possibly much later). Read more about the law and Washington Cares Fund here.
RCW 70A.245.080: Food service businesses can provide single use utensils, straws, condiment packaging, or beverage cup lids only after affirming that the customer wants the item. Confirmation is not required for beverage cup lids for hot drinks or for drinks served via delivery, curbside pick-up, drive throughs, or huge entertainment and sporting events. Food service businesses can still set out single use items so that customers can select what they actually need, but multiple utensils cannot be sealed together in plastic packaging and given to customers. Penalties for violations range from $150 to $2500 per day.
This blog is for informational purposes only and is not guaranteed to be correct, complete, or current. The statements on this blog are not intended to be legal advice, should not be relied upon as legal advice, and do not create an attorney-client relationship. If you have a legal question, have filed or are considering filing a lawsuit, have been sued, or have been charged with a crime, you should consult an attorney. Furthermore, statements within original blogpost articles constitute Stacia Hofmann’s opinion, and should not be construed as the opinion of any other person. Judges and other attorneys may disagree with her opinion, and laws change frequently. Neither Stacia Hofmann nor Cornerpoint Law is responsible for the content of any comments posted by visitors. Responsibility for the content of comments belongs to the commenter alone.
