Washington Extends Pregnancy Protections to 1-Employee Firms, Mandates Paid Lactation Breaks in 2027
Updated
Updated · Hr Morning · Sep 9
Washington Extends Pregnancy Protections to 1-Employee Firms, Mandates Paid Lactation Breaks in 2027
1 articles · Updated · Hr Morning · Sep 9
Summary
Jan. 1, 2027 marks Washington’s expansion of the Healthy Starts Act to every employer with 1 or more workers, replacing the current 15-employee threshold.
SB 5217 requires lactation breaks to be paid at the employee’s regular rate, including travel time to a pumping location, and bars employers from forcing workers to use paid leave.
The law also makes those breaks additional to required meal and rest periods and adds scheduling flexibility for postpartum medical visits.