WA HB1561

Extends minimum wage, overtime (1.5x pay for hours over 40/week), meal breaks (30 minutes), and rest breaks (10 minutes per 4 hours) to domestic workers including nannies, house cleaners, home care workers, cooks, gardeners, and household managers

Requires written employment agreements covering pay rate, work schedule, overtime expectations, sick days, and other terms; prohibits mandatory arbitration clauses, noncompete agreements, and nondisclosure agreements that limit workers' legal rights

Mandates 2-week termination notice (4 weeks for live-in workers) with severance pay owed if notice not provided; protects workers' right to retain personal documents including passports and immigration papers

Establishes civil penalties of $1,000 per willful violation ($2,000-$20,000 for repeat violations) and $1,000-$20,000 for retaliation, with penalties deposited into a grant program for domestic worker rights enforcement and education

Amends Washington's anti-discrimination law (RCW 49.60) to explicitly cover domestic workers and removes previous exclusions for domestic servants from workers' compensation coverage; effective July 1, 2026