Washington lawmakers have been reviewing a measure that can provide app-based drivers new perks without changing their independent contractor status.

“I’m proud to have introduced and passed first-in-the-nation legislation advancing the rights of rideshare drivers in Washington,” State Representative Liz Berry (D-Seattle) said in a press release. “The drivers have been my North Star throughout this process. They have been asking for statewide pay raises, deactivation protections, and benefits — a better quality of life and future. I will continue to listen all the way to the finish line.”

During the hearing, representatives for Uber, Lyft, and Teamster spoke to the labor committee and shared their agreement with the proposed bill as a good starting point to move forward with discussions, negotiations, and amendments. Teamsters union vice president, Brenda Wiest, said that HB 2076 would help to provide drivers with particular benefits more associated with being classified as an employee, while also giving companies "the regulatory certainty that they want to operate successfully in Washington State.”

“After years of organizing along with drivers in Washington—mostly immigrants like me—we’ve finally won our most significant victory yet, the highest labor standards in the nation,” Peter Kuel, President of Drivers Union and an Uber and Lyft driver since 2014 said after the Washington State Senate passed House Bill 2076 in early March. “The passage of the Expand Fairness bill demonstrates the tremendous impact we can create when we combine our voices and demand better.”

During a later review of the bill, three amendments were accepted that helped to clarify the language. According to Washington Business Daily, "Paid sick leave is one thing included in the proposed new benefits for drivers, according to a report from Bloomberg. Lyft executives want to make changes to the bill and are considering settling the issue by staging a referendum. In 2020, a referendum in California passed that mandated drivers as contractors. Similar legislation in New York failed, as it was believed that the bill did not support workers enough." 

In a Feb 25 letter sent by the National Employment Law Project Executive Director Rebecca Dixon to the legislators, she noted that "While HB 2076 includes certain novel ways to provide protections for ride-hail drivers (“TNC drivers”), it also features critical policy compromises that we cannot support." She further urged senators to oppose the bill, saying that "Washington State should send the message that it will not tolerate attempts to exclude categories of workers from the baseline rights and protections to which all employees are entitled."

The bill has been recently approved by Governor Jay Inslee on March 31, with the exception of certain items that were vetoed.