New Washington State laws take effect July 1

OLYMPIA, Wash. – A new set of laws passed during the 2023 and 2024 legislative sessions will go into effect in Washington state.

Here’s a closer look at some of the laws that go into effect on July 1.

Passed in the 2024 session, HB 1889 allows undocumented immigrants to obtain a professional license in the state that previously required a Social Security number.

By law, a government agency or regulatory body may not reject an application for professional licensing based solely on citizenship.

Instead of an SSN, undocumented immigrants who have met all other licensing requirements may provide an individual taxpayer identification number on an application.

A complete list of registration bodies subject to the new law can be found in the text of the law.

Someone who has sexual contact or sexual penetration with another person and removes a sexually protective device without the other party’s consent may be subject to civil liability.

A victim can take civil action in the following cases:

• A person having sexual contact or penetration removes a sexually protective device without the consent of the plaintiff
• A person becomes aware that the sexually protective device has been inadvertently removed but continues to engage in sexual contact or penetration without obtaining the other person’s consent.
• A person tampers with a sexually protective device without the consent of the plaintiff in a manner that would likely render the device ineffective

A plaintiff who wins his case may receive damages of up to $5,000 per violation. The court will also award costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees to a plaintiff who wins his case.

Recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds are eligible for a five-year period, with limited exceptions.

This law expands the list of exceptions that allow families to have longer access to TANF funds. TANF’s time-limited exceptions are now expanded to include parents and guardians with children under 2 years old who live in the same household and are eligible for an exemption from WorkFirst infant, toddler, or postpartum activities, a program that includes job training and education that TANF families are required to participate in in most cases.

SB 5937 makes changes to the state’s existing crime victim compensation program to increase assistance to victims injured or psychologically traumatized by a crime in Washington.

The changes include reimbursement of travel expenses related to forensic examination of injuries, removal of the statute of limitations for rape by first responders who exploit their position to facilitate an assault, creation of a statewide coordination program for forensic nurses, changes to the elements that constitute first-degree rape, the right to consent to a post-sexual assault examination for minors 13 years of age and older, and a ban on the showing in court of photographic images of a victim’s genitals taken during a post-sexual assault forensic examination.

SB 5504 requires the registration office and vehicle inspection personnel to inspect a person’s vehicle for active recalls and to notify the person of any pending recalls at the time of vehicle registration renewal or vehicle inspection.

Regard: Playlist with the top stories from KING 5