Bill
SB 5852
SB 5852 requires Washington employers to quickly notify workers in multiple languages about I-9/records inspections, share results, and use AG-provided multilingual notices.
Status snapshot
- Bill number: SB 5852 (version Z-0489.2, pref filed Dec. 8, 2025).
- Short title: Concerning immigrant worker protections.
- Action: Prefiled; bill text available (adds a new chapter to Title 49 RCW). Includes an emergency clause and provisions for penalties (full penalty language not included in the excerpt).
Purpose and legislative intent
- Recognizes the economic contribution of immigrant workers to Washington state and finds that federal civil immigration enforcement conducted through workplace I-9 inspections/raids harms families and communities.
- Seeks to: (1) protect workers (particularly those affected by federal inspections of Form I‑9 and related records), (2) clarify employer responsibilities when federal agencies conduct I‑9 inspections, and (3) provide notice, resources, and support to workers and employers to reduce disruption and preserve worker rights.
Key definitions (selected)
- Affected worker: a worker identified by a federal inspection as possibly lacking authorization or whose I‑9 or authorization documents have deficiencies.
- Employer: any person or entity employing one or more workers in Washington (explicitly includes state and local governmental entities).
- Federal agency: any U.S. agency that enforces civil immigration laws or conducts employment‑eligibility inspections (e.g., DHS, DOJ, DOL).
- Worker records: employee-identifying data (name + SSN, driver’s license, address, passport/student/military ID, biometric data, geolocation info, and similar), including family members’ records.
- Worker’s authorized representative: union or third party designated by the worker.
Major provisions
- Employer posting requirement: By July 1, 2026, all employers must post a notice about worker rights under the Act in a conspicuous location alongside other employment posters. The Attorney General (AG) must produce the poster and make it publicly available.
- Notice of upcoming I‑9/records inspections: Within 72 hours of receiving notice from a federal agency about an inspection of I‑9s or worker records, employers must notify:
- Every worker and each worker’s authorized representative (if any).
- The notice must be posted in a conspicuous and accessible place and translated into each of the five most‑widely used non‑English languages in the state.
- The posted notice must include: the federal agency name, date employer received notice, nature of inspection (as known), a copy of the federal notice of inspection, and AG‑prescribed contact info for a statewide immigrant/refugee advocacy organization with interpretation access.
- Employers must make reasonable attempts to distribute notifications individually (in‑person and by phone) and provide written notice to authorized representatives.
- Broader written notifications: Within 72 hours of receiving notice, employers must send written notices to the last known addresses of all workers employed by the employer in the last three years containing the same information as the posted notice.
- Copy of inspection results: Within 72 hours of receiving federal inspection results, employers must provide a copy of the federal agency’s written notice of results to each current affected worker and the worker’s authorized representative (unless a shorter timeline is required by federal law).
- AG templates and multilingual materials: The AG must develop and publish a notice/posting template and make it available in English and the five most common non‑English languages in the state.
Who is affected
- Employers operating in Washington (all sizes, public and private) — new operational and notification responsibilities.
- Current and recent workers (employed in the last three years), especially those identified as “affected workers.”
- Worker representatives (unions, designated third parties).
- The Attorney General’s office (must create templates, posters, and prescribed contact information).
- Immigrant and refugee advocacy organizations (identified as statewide contact points).
Timing and implementation
- AG must develop poster and templates on or before July 1, 2026.
- Employer notice obligations trigger within 72 hours of receiving federal agency notice of inspection or inspection results.
- The bill includes an emergency declaration (text excerpted), indicating the legislature intended the law to take effect immediately on enactment if passed with an emergency clause.
Notes, open items, and limitations in the excerpt
- The available excerpt is truncated; it references prescribed penalties and an emergency clause but the specific penalty structure and complete enforcement provisions are not included here.
- The bill places specific translation and notification obligations on employers and establishes timelines; how compliance will be enforced (agency, penalties, remedies) should be reviewed in the full bill text.
- Interaction with federal immigration law and any preemption questions are not addressed in the excerpt; legal analysis may be necessary once the full text and enforcement provisions are available.
Bottom line
SB 5852 requires employers in Washington to notify workers quickly, broadly, and in multiple languages when federal agencies conduct I‑9 or worker‑record inspections, to provide affected workers copies of inspection results, and directs the Attorney General to provide standardized, multilingual notice templates and posters. The bill is framed to protect immigrant workers, reduce community disruption from federal workplace enforcement, and give employers clarity about notification duties.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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