Washington Enacts Salary History Law

On May 9, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed HB 1696 into law which provides further protections for applicants as it relates to saladed to the applicant that includes compensation details.ry history information. The law goes into effect on July 28, 2019.

Specifically, the law prohibits employers from seeking the wage or salary history from an applicant or requiring that an applicant’s prior history meet certain criteria. Employers may confirm wage or salary history if the information is voluntarily disclosed or after an offer is extended.

Employers that have fifteen (15) or more employees must also provide the minimum wage or salary for a position upon an applicant’s request or upon an employee’s request when the employee is offered an internal transfer to a new position or a promotion. If there is no wage scale or salary range, employers must provide the minimum wage or salary expectation prior to posting a position, making a position transfer or making the promotion.

Impacted employers should review applicable applications or other forms that may collect salary history information and should also provide training to relevant staff members (such as HR and hiring managers).