H-4277.1

SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2820


State of Washington	65th Legislature	2018 Regular Session

By House Labor & Workplace Standards (originally sponsored by Representatives McCabe, Pettigrew, Stambaugh, Macri, Vick, Reeves, Jenkin, Sells, Kagi, Muri, and Kilduff)

READ FIRST TIME 02/01/18.

AN ACT Relating to the healthy relationships campaign; creating new sections; providing an expiration date; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that unhealthy relationships lead to violence, broken families, unsafe and unlawful workplaces, and other societal ills. According to the national coalition against domestic violence, every nine seconds a woman is assaulted or beaten in the United States and one in three women and one in four men have been victims of physical violence by an intimate partner. In Washington state, forty-eight domestic violence homicides were committed in 2015 and forty-two in 2016. Further, a recent poll found that more than half of women in the United States have experienced unwanted and inappropriate sexual advances from men, three in ten have put up with unwanted advances from male coworkers, and a quarter have endured unwanted advances from men who had influence over their work situation.

(2) The legislature finds that unhealthy relationships occur in the workplace, and are also discussed in the workplace as individuals experiencing domestic violence may find the workplace a place of respite and shared confidences. Therefore, the legislature intends to shine the light on and help curb unhealthy relationships by creating a campaign to provide information in the workplace to empower victims and others to support healthy relationships in Washington's families, workplaces, and communities.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) A joint legislative task force on the healthy relationships campaign is created to identify ways in which the employer and employee community can help curb unhealthy relationships, including domestic violence and sexual harassment.

(2) The members of the task force are as provided in this subsection.

(a) The president of the senate shall appoint one member from each of the two largest caucuses in the senate.

(b) The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint one member from each of the two largest caucuses of the house of representatives.

(i) One member representing each of the following:

(A) The association of Washington business;

(B) The national federation of independent business;

(D) The Washington retail association;

(E) The Washington state labor council;

(F) The Washington coalition of sexual assault programs;

(G) The Washington coalition against domestic violence; and

(H) A federally recognized tribe;

(ii) A business owner;

(iii) A survivor of sexual harassment;

(iv) A survivor of domestic violence; and

(v) Up to two additional members.

(3) The task force shall choose two cochairs from among its legislative membership. The legislative members shall convene the initial meeting of the task force.

(4) The task force shall review the following issues:

(a) The prevalence of domestic violence, sexual harassment, and other forms of unhealthy relationships;

(b) The nexus between unhealthy relationships and the workplace;

(c) The appropriate role of employers and employees in providing information to help reduce the incidence of domestic violence, sexual harassment, and other forms of unhealthy relationships; and

(d) Whether legislation is needed to address the issues outlined in this subsection.

(5) Staff support for the task force shall be provided by the senate committee services and the house of representatives office of program research.

(6) Legislative members of the task force must be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. Nonlegislative members, except those representing an employer or organization, are entitled to be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.

(7) The expenses of the task force must be paid jointly by the senate and the house of representatives. Task force expenditures are subject to approval by the senate facilities and operations committee and the house of representatives executive rules committee or their successor committees.

(8) The task force shall submit its findings and recommendations to the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 2018.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. This act expires June 30, 2019.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect immediately.

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