How HB 2377, SB 6100, & SB 6122 Harm Washington Workers
FAQ’s About HB 2377
HB 2377 weakens enforcement of an existing law that already works, by creating a new legal defense for employers who fail to disclose pay.
HB 2377 redefines “applicant” to mean someone with a “genuine intent” to be hired, allowing employers to argue that workers who report violations were not serious job seekers. 
This would force courts to dismiss otherwise valid cases, even when the employer clearly broke the law.
HB 2377 Shifts the focus from employer behavior to worker behavior, undermining the purpose of pay transparency.
Instead of asking whether the job posting included the required pay and benefits, the law would require courts to evaluate a worker’s motives, timing, résumé, or application history. 
Workers will be discouraged from reporting violations, knowing they could be put on trial instead of the employer.
HB 2377 Creates a chilling effect on enforcement, especially for workers with non-traditional job paths.
Workers who are unemployed, underemployed, gig workers, career-switchers, or applying broadly would be most vulnerable to having their “intent” questioned. 
Pay transparency violations will go unreported, allowing hidden-pay postings to spread.
FAQ’s About SB 6100
SB 6100 Eliminates meaningful consequences for employers who violate the law, even repeatedly.
SB 6100 permanently extends the “cure period,” allowing employers to avoid penalties by fixing a job posting after they are caught, no matter how many times it happens. 
Employers can treat compliance as optional until someone complains, weakening deterrence statewide.
Turns workers into unpaid compliance officers, instead of holding employers accountable.
Under SB 6100, workers must notify employers of violations and wait for correction before any enforcement can occur. 
Many workers will choose silence over retaliation risk, allowing violations to continue unchecked.
Rewards bad actors while offering no benefit to compliant employers.
Employers who already follow the law gain nothing, while those who ignore it gain repeated second chances without penalties. 
This creates an uneven playing field and normalizes noncompliance.
FAQ’s About SB 6122
Weakens transparency norms across public systems, undermining the broader principle behind pay disclosure laws.
SB 6122 removes guardrails requiring funds to be used for specific staffing and compensation purposes, reducing public accountability around how money translates into jobs and wages. 
This erodes the expectation that compensation systems should be clear, traceable, and enforceable.
Reduces accountability mechanisms that protect workers funded by public dollars.
By increasing spending flexibility without parallel transparency or enforcement safeguards, the bill makes it harder to track whether funding supports fair staffing levels and compensation. 
Workers paid through public systems may face greater instability and less leverage to challenge inequities.
Signals a broader retreat from transparency as a policy value.
Taken alongside HB 2377 and SB 6100, SB 6122 reinforces a legislative trend away from enforceable transparency toward employer discretion. 
If this direction continues, workers lose access to clear information that helps them make informed decisions about jobs, pay, and security.