S-0939.1
SENATE BILL 5677
State of Washington 68th Legislature 2023 Regular Session
By Senators Dozier, Fortunato, Boehnke, Torres, McCune, Schoesler,
Short, King, Braun, Holy, L. Wilson, Muzzall, J. Wilson, Wagoner,
Cleveland, Dhingra, Kuderer, Lovelett, Lovick, Nobles, Rivers,
Rolfes, Saldaña, Shewmake, Stanford, Valdez, Warnick, and Wellman
Read first time 02/02/23. Referred to Committee on State Government
& Elections.
1 AN ACT Relating to recognizing Walla Walla sweet onion day; and
2 amending RCW 1.16.050.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
4 Sec. 1. RCW 1.16.050 and 2021 c 295 s 2 are each amended to read
5 as follows:
6 (1) The following are state legal holidays:
7 (a) Sunday;
8 (b) The first day of January, commonly called New Year's Day;
9 (c) The third Monday of January, celebrated as the anniversary of
10 the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr.;
11 (d) The third Monday of February, to be known as Presidents' Day
12 and celebrated as the anniversary of the births of Abraham Lincoln
13 and George Washington;
14 (e) The last Monday of May, commonly known as Memorial Day;
15 (f) The nineteenth day of June, recognized as Juneteenth, a day
16 of remembrance for the day the African slaves learned of their
17 freedom;
18 (g) The fourth day of July, the anniversary of the Declaration of
19 Independence;
20 (h) The first Monday in September, to be known as Labor Day;
21 (i) The eleventh day of November, to be known as Veterans' Day;
p. 1 SB 5677
 1 (j) The fourth Thursday in November, to be known as Thanksgiving
2 Day;
3 (k) The Friday immediately following the fourth Thursday in
4 November, to be known as Native American Heritage Day; and
5 (l) The twenty-fifth day of December, commonly called Christmas
6 Day.
7 (2) Employees of the state and its political subdivisions, except
8 employees of school districts and except those nonclassified
9 employees of institutions of higher education who hold appointments
10 or are employed under contracts to perform services for periods of
11 less than twelve consecutive months, are entitled to one paid holiday
12 per calendar year in addition to those specified in this section.
13 Each employee of the state or its political subdivisions may select
14 the day on which the employee desires to take the additional holiday
15 provided for in this section after consultation with the employer
16 pursuant to guidelines to be promulgated by rule of the appropriate
17 personnel authority, or in the case of local government by ordinance
18 or resolution of the legislative authority.
19 (3) Employees of the state and its political subdivisions,
20 including employees of school districts and those nonclassified
21 employees of institutions of higher education who hold appointments
22 or are employed under contracts to perform services for periods of
23 less than twelve consecutive months, are entitled to two unpaid
24 holidays per calendar year for a reason of faith or conscience or an
25 organized activity conducted under the auspices of a religious
26 denomination, church, or religious organization. This includes
27 employees of public institutions of higher education, including
28 community colleges, technical colleges, and workforce training
29 programs. The employee may select the days on which the employee
30 desires to take the two unpaid holidays after consultation with the
31 employer pursuant to guidelines to be promulgated by rule of the
32 appropriate personnel authority, or in the case of local government
33 by ordinance or resolution of the legislative authority. If an
34 employee prefers to take the two unpaid holidays on specific days for
35 a reason of faith or conscience, or an organized activity conducted
36 under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or religious
37 organization, the employer must allow the employee to do so unless
38 the employee's absence would impose an undue hardship on the employer
39 or the employee is necessary to maintain public safety. Undue
p. 2 SB 5677
 1 hardship shall have the meaning established in rule by the office of
2 financial management under RCW 43.41.109.
3 (4) If any of the state legal holidays specified in this section
4 are also federal legal holidays but observed on different dates, only
5 the state legal holidays are recognized as a paid legal holiday for
6 employees of the state and its political subdivisions. However, for
7 port districts and the law enforcement and public transit employees
8 of municipal corporations, either the federal or the state legal
9 holiday is recognized as a paid legal holiday, but in no case may
10 both holidays be recognized as a paid legal holiday for employees.
11 (5) Whenever any state legal holiday:
12 (a) Other than Sunday, falls upon a Sunday, the following Monday
13 is the legal holiday; or
14 (b) Falls upon a Saturday, the preceding Friday is the legal
15 holiday.
16 (6) Nothing in this section may be construed to have the effect
17 of adding or deleting the number of paid holidays provided for in an
18 agreement between employees and employers of political subdivisions
19 of the state or as established by ordinance or resolution of the
20 local government legislative authority.
21 (7) The legislature declares that the following days are
22 recognized as provided in this subsection, but may not be considered
23 legal holidays for any purpose:
24 (a) The thirteenth day of January, recognized as Korean-American
25 day;
26 (b) The twelfth day of October, recognized as Columbus day;
27 (c) The ninth day of April, recognized as former prisoner of war
28 recognition day;
29 (d) The twenty-sixth day of January, recognized as Washington
30 army and air national guard day;
31 (e) The seventh day of August, recognized as purple heart
32 recipient recognition day;
33 (f) The second Sunday in October, recognized as Washington state
34 children's day;
35 (g) The sixteenth day of April, recognized as Mother Joseph day;
36 (h) The fourth day of September, recognized as Marcus Whitman
37 day;
38 (i) The seventh day of December, recognized as Pearl Harbor
39 remembrance day;
p. 3 SB 5677
 1 (j) The twenty-seventh day of July, recognized as national Korean
2 war veterans armistice day;
3 (k) The nineteenth day of February, recognized as civil liberties
4 day of remembrance;
5 (l) The thirtieth day of March, recognized as welcome home
6 Vietnam veterans day;
7 (m) The eleventh day of January, recognized as human trafficking
8 awareness day;
9 (n) The thirty-first day of March, recognized as Cesar Chavez
10 day;
11 (o) The tenth day of April, recognized as Dolores Huerta day;
12 (p) The fourth Saturday of September, recognized as public lands
13 day; ((and))
14 (q) The eighteenth day of December, recognized as blood donor
15 day; and
16 (r) The tenth day of July, recognized as Walla Walla sweet onion
17 day.
--- END ---
p. 4 SB 5677


Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 1.16.050