{"id":8097,"date":"2026-01-16T09:21:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T17:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/nobles\/?p=8097"},"modified":"2026-01-16T09:21:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T17:21:31","slug":"nobles-bill-to-clarify-pregnancy-accommodation-protections-heard-in-committee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/nobles\/2026\/01\/16\/nobles-bill-to-clarify-pregnancy-accommodation-protections-heard-in-committee\/","title":{"rendered":"Nobles bill to clarify pregnancy accommodation protections heard in committee"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">OLYMPIA \u2014 A bill to<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0clarify\u00a0pregnancy and postpartum workplace accommodation\u00a0requirements\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">was heard Friday in the Senate Labor &amp; Commerce Committee.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/billsummary?BillNumber=6014&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=False\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Senate Bill 6014<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">, sponsored by Sen.\u00a0T\u2019wina\u00a0Nobles (D-Fircrest),\u00a0refines Washington\u2019s Health Starts Act by clarifying when employers may request written certification for pregnancy-related accommodations\u00a0and strengthening privacy protections for workers.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The bill addresses a technical issue in statute language passed last year that, if left unchanged, would alter long-standing practice\u00a0once it takes effect. It clarifies that\u00a0employers may not\u00a0require\u00a0a doctor\u2019s note for certain commonsense accommodations, such as restroom breaks, access to food or water during a shift, limits on lifting over 17 pounds, access to a stool or chair to sit, or time to express milk postpartum.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The bill\u00a0does not change existing law allowing employers to deny accommodations if they would cause an undue hardship, defined as significant difficulty or expense.\u00a0It also protects sensitive personal and medical information from public disclosure when workers\u00a0seek\u00a0assistance\u00a0or file complaints related to pregnancy or childbirth.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cLast year, we came together with strong bipartisan support to expand pregnancy and postpartum workplace protections for workers across Washington,\u201d Nobles said. \u201cThis bill makes a small, technical clarification to ensure the law functions as intended\u00a0\u2014\u00a0providing clarity for employers, protecting workers\u2019 privacy, and preventing unnecessary barriers to basic, reasonable\u00a0accommodations.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Follow\u00a0its\u00a0progress\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/billsummary?BillNumber=6014&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=False\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">here<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>OLYMPIA \u2014 A bill to\u00a0clarify\u00a0pregnancy and postpartum workplace accommodation\u00a0requirements\u00a0was heard Friday in the Senate Labor &amp; Commerce Committee.\u00a0 Senate Bill 6014, sponsored by Sen.\u00a0T\u2019wina\u00a0Nobles (D-Fircrest),\u00a0refines Washington\u2019s Health Starts Act by clarifying when employers may request written certification for pregnancy-related accommodations\u00a0and strengthening privacy protections for workers.\u00a0 The bill addresses a technical issue in statute language passed last year that, if left unchanged, would alter long-standing practice\u00a0once it takes effect. It clarifies that\u00a0employers may not\u00a0require\u00a0a doctor\u2019s note for certain commonsense accommodations, such as restroom breaks, access to food or water during a shift, limits on lifting over 17 pounds, access to a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":7938,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-release"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Nobles bill to clarify pregnancy accommodation protections heard in committee - Sen. T\u2019wina Nobles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/nobles\/2026\/01\/16\/nobles-bill-to-clarify-pregnancy-accommodation-protections-heard-in-committee\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nobles bill to clarify pregnancy accommodation protections heard in committee - Sen. 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It clarifies that\u00a0employers may not\u00a0require\u00a0a doctor\u2019s note for certain commonsense accommodations, such as restroom breaks, access to food or water during a shift, limits on lifting over 17 pounds, access to a...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/nobles\/2026\/01\/16\/nobles-bill-to-clarify-pregnancy-accommodation-protections-heard-in-committee\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sen. 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