Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA) Preliminary Rule Language

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries’ (L&I) Employment Standards Program is seeking stakeholder feedback on a preliminary draft of the rules it is developing for the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA). The program started its rulemaking effort on Aug. 6 by filing a Preproposal Statement of Inquiry (CR-101).

The Employment Standards program is developing the rules to prepare for upcoming changes to the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act created by the passage of Substitute House Bill 1905 earlier this year. These rules will help employers comply with the law and help workers understand their new protections.

The bill expands existing worker protections against pay and promotion discrimination based on gender under the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act to include race, creed, military status, and other protected classes.

We are asking the public to review the draft of the preliminary rule language by September 27, 2024.

Feedback can be submitted directly to this page via the “Submit Comments” tab, or using an attached document via the “Upload Documents” tab.

Feedback can also be submitted via the ESRules@Lni.wa.gov email box. Feedback submitted to the email box will be uploaded to this engagement site.

In addition to written comments, L&I has scheduled three stakeholder meetings to share information, respond to questions, and receive comments. Two meetings will be in-person and one will be virtual:

  • 9 a.m. on Sept. 17, Enduris Training Center, 1610 Technology Blvd., Suite 100, Spokane, WA 99224
  • 10 a.m. on Sept. 18, Virtual via Zoom but attendees need to register prior to the meeting.
  • 1 p.m. on Sept. 19, Department of Labor & Industries office, 12806 Gateway Drive S., Tukwila, WA 98168

Interpretation services can be provided at no cost to you when you request them ahead of time. Se le pueden proporcionar servicios de interpretación sin costo alguno si los solicita con anticipación.

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries’ (L&I) Employment Standards Program is seeking stakeholder feedback on a preliminary draft of the rules it is developing for the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA). The program started its rulemaking effort on Aug. 6 by filing a Preproposal Statement of Inquiry (CR-101).

The Employment Standards program is developing the rules to prepare for upcoming changes to the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act created by the passage of Substitute House Bill 1905 earlier this year. These rules will help employers comply with the law and help workers understand their new protections.

The bill expands existing worker protections against pay and promotion discrimination based on gender under the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act to include race, creed, military status, and other protected classes.

We are asking the public to review the draft of the preliminary rule language by September 27, 2024.

Feedback can be submitted directly to this page via the “Submit Comments” tab, or using an attached document via the “Upload Documents” tab.

Feedback can also be submitted via the ESRules@Lni.wa.gov email box. Feedback submitted to the email box will be uploaded to this engagement site.

In addition to written comments, L&I has scheduled three stakeholder meetings to share information, respond to questions, and receive comments. Two meetings will be in-person and one will be virtual:

  • 9 a.m. on Sept. 17, Enduris Training Center, 1610 Technology Blvd., Suite 100, Spokane, WA 99224
  • 10 a.m. on Sept. 18, Virtual via Zoom but attendees need to register prior to the meeting.
  • 1 p.m. on Sept. 19, Department of Labor & Industries office, 12806 Gateway Drive S., Tukwila, WA 98168

Interpretation services can be provided at no cost to you when you request them ahead of time. Se le pueden proporcionar servicios de interpretación sin costo alguno si los solicita con anticipación.

Public Comments

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I understand that if an employer knows a potential employees current pay then the employer can use this information to pay the candidate less. However, the opposite is also true. If I don't know what they're currently making, I can't make them an appropriate offer. This happens to me all the time. I don't want to loose a good worker because I made an offer that is too low.

Dallas Low 20 days ago
Page last updated: 19 Sep 2024, 10:08 AM