The 2024 Legislative Session began January 8, 2024, and ended March 7, 2024. During the 60-day session, OMWBE reviewed hundreds of bills for impact on our certified businesses, met with 46 legislators, attended small business roundtables weekly, presented twice during Committee Days, testified once for prompt payment public policy (Senate Bill 6040), and participated in a variety of Legislative events.

Below are the critical bills that we tracked and OMWBE projects that were funded by the Legislature in 2024.

Bills of interest that passed the 2024 Legislature:

1. Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6040, Prompt Payment – Requires Capital Projects Advisory Review Board (CPARB) to determine whether current Washington Prompt Pay laws meet the needs of certified and other minority and women business owners to get paid timely for work performed. CPARB must meet with various stakeholders and present its findings to the Legislature by November 1, 2024. Effective date: 3/26/2024.
2. Substitute Senate Bill 6192, Change Orders - Eliminates accrued interest when a change order request is submitted within 30 days of additional work performed. The bill includes subcontractors, suppliers, and owners as those responsible for submitting change order requests. Creates an opportunity to bring a civil action to include attorneys’ fees and costs for change order violations. Effective date: 6/6/2024.
3. Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6069, Washington Saves (Retirement Plan) – Creates a state facilitated retirement program that allows employees to contribute to an IRA through an automatic payroll deduction.  Employees may opt out of the program.  Applies to businesses located in Washington State for at least two years, that had employees working a combined minimum of 10,400 hours during the previous calendar year, and do not already offer employees a qualified retirement plan. OMWBE will work with the Governing Board to inform our certified businesses of specific employer requirements. Effective date: 6/6/2024.
4. Second Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1541, Lived Experience – Known as the “nothing about us without us” act because it requires a statutory entity created on or after January 1, 2025, to include three people with direct lived experience to participate in policy decisions. The Office of Equity will track the progress of these statutory entities. Agencies may also provide up to $200 for those with direct lived experience to participate with these statutory entities. Effective date:  6/6/2024.
5. Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5955, Large Port Districts – Creates the Port District Equity Fund and specifies that moneys in the fund may consist of appropriations by the Legislature, contributions from counties, cities, or port districts, and private contributions. The bill removes the requirement that sales and use taxes collected on capital construction projects within the port district must be transferred from the General Fund to the Port District Equity Fund. The bill has a sunset provision expiring the noise mitigation grant program on July 1, 2029. Requires the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) to evaluate the number of homes cured of noise pollution under the grant program and the number of homes still in need of noise mitigation.  Effective date: 6/6/2024.
6. Second Substitute House Bill 2084, Construction Training/DOC – Requires the Washington Department of Corrections ombuds to establish an oversight committee to evaluate, strengthen, and expand construction-related training programs, with a focus on state recognized apprenticeship preparation programs, and transition planning with the goal of improving pathways to the enrollment of formerly incarcerated persons in state registered apprenticeship programs. Effective date: 6/6/2024.
7. House Bill 1471, State Procurement Procedures – Requires a convenience contract to be approved by the Department of Enterprise Services (DES). Extends the time for an emergency contract to be submitted to DES and available for inspection from three days to 10 days. Allows for sole source contracts to be available for public inspection for 15 days instead of 10 days. Reinstates DES’ ability to debar or fine a contractor for failure to comply with a provision in a state master contract or agreement with a state agency that requires equality in compensation among its workers. Effective date: 6/6/2024.
8. Substitute Senate Bill 6025, Predatory Loans – Prohibits a person from making, offering, assisting, or arranging a debtor to obtain a loan with a greater interest rate, consideration, or charge than permitted through any method, including mail, telephone, or internet. Effective date: 6/6/2024.

Bills that died during the 2024 Legislative Session are listed below.

• SHB 1959 – Paid Family Medical Leave/Small Employers
• SSB 5133 – Responsible Bidder Criteria
• SSB 5684 – Small Works Rosters (trailer bill to SB 5268, which established Public Works Small Business Enterprise certification)
• ESB 6167 – Local Government Procurement

For more information about the above-listed bills, please visit the legislature's Bill Information page.

OMWBE also received Legislative funding for the following projects:

• New Disparity Study - This funding will allow OMWBE to commission a new disparity study to assess Washington’s progress toward equity in public spending. Disparity studies must be updated every 5-7 years. This new study will cover the COVID-19 period, which disproportionately impacted minority- and women-owned businesses.
• Access Equity Maintenance and Operation - This funding supports the ongoing use of Access Equity, Your Business Diversity Management System. Businesses use Access Equity to apply for OMWBE Certification. State agencies and institutions of higher education use Access Equity to report their annual subcontractor spending. This software solution closes a gap in our ability to track public spending with certified businesses, giving us deeper insight into how Washington spends its money.
• LGBTQ+ Certification - In partnership with Washington's LGBTQ Commission, OMWBE is creating a new certification for business owners that identify as LGBTQ+. This new certification type is currently under development.