State Rep. Chris Corry, R-Yakima, has introduced legislation to set hiring preferences for state employees who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 vaccine requirements.
According to Washington's Office of Financial Management, around 1,900 state employees lost their jobs to the vaccine mandate. The mandate ended in October.
"This bill ensures that state workers fired over the vaccine mandate who want those jobs back are prioritized in the application process," Corry said. "It also creates a system for those workers to get their missed pension credit for the time they were off the job."
A 10% hiring preference would be given to workers who lost their job due to the mandate, giving them an edge over other applicants. Re-hired employees would also get pension service credits for the the time they were unemployed, given they keep up with their employee contributions.
The bill, HB 1814, has been referred to the Labor and Workforce committee.
Emergency powers
Corry also made a second attempt this year to pass a bill that would limit the governor's emergency powers and give the Legislature more control over emergency declarations like the one put in place by Gov. Jay Inslee during the COVID pandemic in 2020.
"There must limits. The framers of our state constitution never intended for the governor to wield the kind of power he maintained for nearly three years," Corry said. "Clearly, when quick action is needed, the executive branch must be able to respond. But when a state of emergency lasts for months or even years, it's difficult to justify prolonged unilateral — nearly autocratic — authority by the executive branch."
The bill stipulates that after an emergency declaration is in place 60 days, only the Legislature or legislative leadership would be able to extend or reinstate it. Restrictions put in place during the state of emergency would last no longer than 30 days unless extended by the Legislature.
In an interview with the Yakima Herald-Republic, Corry said he did not present the bill to limit Inslee's powers as governor, but rather to keep a legislative check on the office of governor, regardless of who is in office.
Though his attempt to get the bill passed last year was not successful, he said he hopes this time around there will be more support.
"I have higher hopes this year. I'm hearing from more people on both sides of the aisle that say 'OK, we need to do something," he said.
The bill, HB 1535, is before the House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee.
