What happened?

On April 25, 2025, Washington enacted the House Bill (HB) 1875, expanding the state’s paid sick leave law to include immigration-related proceedings.

Overview:

What’s Changing? Employees and transportation network drivers (e.g., rideshare drivers) can now use paid sick leave to:

• Prepare for or attend immigration proceedings involving themselves or a family member.

Who Qualifies as a Family Member? A child, grandchild, grandparent, parent, sibling, spouse, and anyone who lives with the employee or driver and depends on them for care.

Verification Rules

• Employers may request documentation for absences over 3 days.

• Acceptable proof includes:
  • A statement from an attorney, advocate, clergy member, or other professional.
  • A written statement from the employee or driver.

• Documentation must not include personal immigration details.

Employee and Driver Protections: Employers and transportation companies cannot discipline, retaliate, or discriminate against workers for using this leave.

Source References

• Washington House Bill 1875 – Allowing the use of paid sick leave to prepare for or participate in certain immigration proceedings

This communication is intended solely for the purpose of conveying information. The present post might incorporate hyperlinks directing readers to websites managed by third-party entities. The inclusion of any links within this communication is meant to serve as points of reference and could encompass opinion articles from various law firms, articles from HR associations, official websites, news releases, and documents of government agencies, and other relevant third-party sources. Vensure has no authority over these external websites and bears no responsibility for their content. Furthermore, Vensure does not endorse the materials present on these websites. The contents of this communication should not be interpreted as legal advice or as a legal standpoint concerning specific facts or scenarios. Nor should it be deemed an exhaustive compilation of facts potentially pertinent to federal, state, or local laws. It is strongly advised that employers solicit legal guidance from an employment attorney when undertaking actions in response to any legal updates provided. This is due to the possibility of future alterations occurring in federal, state, and local laws, regulations, as well as the directives and guidelines issued by governing agencies. These changes may transpire at any given time, potentially rendering certain portions of the content within this update void or inaccurate.