Title 19 — Title 19 BUSINESS REGULATIONS—MISCELLANEOUS

A person who willfully violates any of the provisions of this chapter may be liable for a civil penalty of not more than one thousand dollars per violation. Multiple violations on a single day may be considered separate violations. The attorney general, acting in the name of the …

(1) Before seeking payment or a contract for payment of royalties for the use of copyrighted works by that proprietor, a representative or agent for a performing rights society must: Identify himself or herself to the proprietor or the proprietor's employees, disclose that he or …

(1) The department of revenue shall inform proprietors of their rights and responsibilities regarding the public performance of copyrighted music as part of the business licensing service.(2) Performing rights societies are encouraged to conduct outreach campaigns to educate exis…

(1) No performing rights society may enter into, or offer to enter into, a contract for the payment of royalties by a proprietor unless at least seventy-two hours prior to the execution of that contract it provides to the proprietor or the proprietor's employees, in writing, the …

Nothing in chapter 38, Laws of 2016 may be construed to prohibit a performing rights society from conducting investigations to determine the existence of music use by a proprietor's business or informing a proprietor of the proprietor's obligations under the copyright laws of the…

This act takes effect January 1, 2017.[ 2016 c 38 s 10.]

(1) The legislature finds that the people of Washington regard their privacy as a fundamental right and an essential element of their individual freedom. Washington's Constitution explicitly provides the right to privacy. Fundamental privacy rights have long been and continue to …

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) "Abortion" means the termination of a pregnancy for purposes other than producing a live birth.(2) "Affiliate" means a legal entity that shares common branding with ano…

(1)(a) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, beginning March 31, 2024, a regulated entity and a small business shall maintain a consumer health data privacy policy that clearly and conspicuously discloses:(i) The categories of consumer health data collected and th…

(1)(a) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, beginning March 31, 2024, a regulated entity or a small business may not collect any consumer health data except:(i) With consent from the consumer for such collection for a specified purpose; or(ii) To the extent neces…

(1)(a) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, beginning March 31, 2024, a consumer has the right to confirm whether a regulated entity or a small business is collecting, sharing, or selling consumer health data concerning the consumer and to access such data, inclu…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, beginning March 31, 2024, a regulated entity and a small business shall:(a) Restrict access to consumer health data by the employees, processors, and contractors of such regulated entity or small business to only those emp…

(1)(a)(i) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, beginning March 31, 2024, a processor may process consumer health data only pursuant to a binding contract between the processor and the regulated entity or the small business that sets forth the processing instructi…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (6) of this section, beginning March 31, 2024, it is unlawful for any person to sell or offer to sell consumer health data concerning a consumer without first obtaining valid authorization from the consumer. The sale of consumer health data mu…

It is unlawful for any person to implement a geofence around an entity that provides in-person health care services where such geofence is used to: (1) Identify or track consumers seeking health care services; (2) collect consumer health data from consumers; or (3) send notificat…

The legislature finds that the practices covered by this chapter are matters vitally affecting the public interest for the purpose of applying the consumer protection act, chapter 19.86 RCW. A violation of this chapter is not reasonable in relation to the development and preserva…

(1) This chapter does not apply to:(a) Information that meets the definition of:(i) Protected health information for purposes of the federal health insurance portability and accountability act of 1996 and related regulations;(ii) Health care information collected, used, or disclo…

Chapter 191, Laws of 2023 may be known and cited as the Washington my health my data act.[ 2023 c 191 s 1.]

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter , unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) "Biometric identifier" means data generated by automatic measurements of an individual's biological characteristics, such as a fingerprint, voiceprint, eye retinas, i…

(1) A person may not enroll a biometric identifier in a database for a commercial purpose, without first providing notice, obtaining consent, or providing a mechanism to prevent the subsequent use of a biometric identifier for a commercial purpose.(2) Notice is a disclosure, that…

(1) The legislature finds that the practices covered by this chapter are matters vitally affecting the public interest for the purpose of applying the consumer protection act, chapter 19.86 RCW. A violation of this chapter is not reasonable in relation to the development and pres…

(1) Nothing in this chapter applies in any manner to a financial institution or an affiliate of a financial institution that is subject to Title V of the federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley act of 1999 and the rules promulgated thereunder.(2) Nothing in this chapter applies to activities …

The legislature finds that citizens of Washington are increasingly asked to disclose sensitive biological information that uniquely identifies them for commerce, security, and convenience. The collection and marketing of biometric information about individuals, without consent or…

(1) This section applies to surrogacy brokers arranging or facilitating transactions contemplated by a surrogacy agreement under RCW 26.26A.700 through 26.26A.785 if: (a) A surrogacy broker does business in Washington state; (b) a surrogate who is party to a surrogacy agreement r…

(1) The legislature finds that the practices covered by this chapter are matters vitally affecting the public interest for the purpose of applying the consumer protection act, chapter 19.86 RCW. A violation of this chapter is not reasonable in relation to the development and pres…

(1) Any person providing broadband internet access service in Washington state shall publicly disclose accurate information regarding the network management practices, performance characteristics, and commercial terms of its broadband internet access services sufficient to enable…

It is the intent of the legislature to ensure that competition beneficial to consumers in health care markets across Washington remains vigorous and robust. The legislature supports that intent through this chapter, which provides the attorney general with notice of all material …

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2548-S.SL) ***The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) "Acquisition" means an agreement, arrangement, or activity the consummation of which results in a person acquiring directly or…

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2548-S.SL) ***(1) Not less than sixty days prior to the effective date of any transaction that results in a material change, the parties to the transaction shall submit written notice to the attorney general of such material change.(2) For the purposes…

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2548-S.SL) ***(1) The written notice provided by the parties, as required by RCW 19.390.030, must include:(a) The names of the parties and their current business addresses;(b) Identification of all locations where health care services are currently pro…

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2548-S.SL) ***The attorney general shall make any requests for additional information from the parties under RCW 19.86.110 within thirty days of the date notice is received under RCW 19.390.030 and 19.390.040. Nothing in this section precludes the atto…

A provider or provider organization that provides a copy of a Hart-Scott-Rodino form to the attorney general pursuant to RCW 19.420.020 satisfies the notice requirement under RCW 19.390.040.[ 2025 c 7 s 9; 2019 c 267 s 6.]Notes:Construction—2025 c 7: See RCW 19.420.910.

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2548-S.SL) ***Information submitted to the attorney general pursuant to this chapter shall be maintained and used by the attorney general in the same manner and under the same protections as provided in RCW 19.86.110. The information, including documen…

Any person who fails to comply with any provision of this chapter is liable to the state for a civil penalty of not more than two hundred dollars per day for each day during which such person is in violation of this chapter.[ 2019 c 267 s 8.]

The notice requirement in RCW 19.390.030 applies to transactions with an anticipated effective date on or after January 1, 2020.[ 2019 c 267 s 9.]

(1) Any financial institution which issues payment cards shall list a phone number on its website for cardholders and merchants to report suspected incidents in which payment cards are used for fraud or payment cards have been stolen.(2) Any financial institution which issues pay…

(1) The legislature finds that Washington must address the impacts of climate change by leading the transition to a clean energy economy. One way in which Washington must lead this transition is by transforming its energy supply, modernizing its electricity system, and ensuring t…

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 5982-S.SL) ***The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) "Allocation of electricity" means, for the purposes of setting electricity rates, the costs and benefits associated with the r…

(1)(a) On or before December 31, 2025, each electric utility must eliminate coal-fired resources from its allocation of electricity. This does not include costs associated with decommissioning and remediation of these facilities.(b) The commission shall allow in electric rates al…

(1) It is the policy of the state that all retail sales of electricity to Washington retail electric customers be greenhouse gas neutral by January 1, 2030.(a) For the four-year compliance period beginning January 1, 2030, and for each multiyear compliance period thereafter throu…

(1) It is the policy of the state that nonemitting electric generation and electricity from renewable resources supply one hundred percent of all sales of electricity to Washington retail electric customers by January 1, 2045. By January 1, 2045, and each year thereafter, each el…

(1)(a) By January 1, 2022, and every four years thereafter, each investor-owned utility must develop and submit to the commission:(i) A four-year clean energy implementation plan for the standards established under RCW 19.405.040(1) and 19.405.050(1) that proposes specific target…

By January 1, 2024, and at least every four years thereafter and in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, the department must submit a report to the legislature. The report must include the following:(1) A review of the standards described in RCW 19.405.030 through 19.405.050 focused on…

(1)(a) An electric utility or an affected market customer that fails to meet the standards established under RCW 19.405.030(1) and 19.405.040(1) must pay an administrative penalty to the state of Washington in the amount of one hundred dollars, times the following multipliers, fo…

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 5982-S.SL) ***(1) It is the intent of this chapter that the commission and department adopt rules to streamline the implementation of chapter 288, Laws of 2019 with chapter 19.285 RCW to simplify compliance and avoid duplicative processes. It is the in…

The requirements of RCW 19.405.030 through 19.405.090 do not replace or modify the requirements established under chapter 19.285 RCW. All utility activities to comply with the requirements established under chapter 19.285 RCW also qualify for compliance with the requirements cont…

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 1903-S2.SL) ***(1) It is the intent of the legislature to demonstrate progress toward making energy assistance funds available to low-income households consistent with the policies identified in this section.(2) An electric utility must make programs a…

(1) The department and the commission must convene a stakeholder work group to examine the:(a) Efficient and consistent integration of chapter 288, Laws of 2019 and transactions with carbon and electricity markets outside the state; and(b) Compatibility of the requirements under …

By December 31, 2020, the department of health must develop a cumulative impact analysis to designate the communities highly impacted by fossil fuel pollution and climate change in Washington. The cumulative impact analysis may integrate with and build upon other concurrent cross…

(1) An investor-owned utility may petition the commission for a declaratory order pursuant to RCW 34.05.240 to determine whether a proposed energy transformation project, nonemitting electric generation project, or renewable resource project meets the requirements of RCW 19.405.0…