---
type: "Bill"
title: "Removing the requirement that an employee must work at least six months before taking vacation leave."
description: "Removing the requirement that an employee must work at least six months before taking vacation leave."
jurisdiction: "us/states/wa"
legislature: "Washington Legislature"
session: "2017-2018"
identifier: "HB 1521"
citation: "Washington HB 1521 (2017-2018)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT", "OFFICE", "PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT AND EMPLOYEES"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Dolan"]
version_count: 2
action_count: 38
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2017-01-23"
last_action: "2017-05-04"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/9005e78b-6106-4cc8-886e-eeba2b1a4885"
source_url: "http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1521&year=2017"
source_hash: "7993cd89bc2e874361ad7156d4757e5489222f9cdcfe02ead0998f000b5818a1"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-wa"]
---

# Washington HB 1521 (2017-2018) — Removing the requirement that an employee must work at least six months before taking vacation leave.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2017-18/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1521.htm)
2. **Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2017-18/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1521-S.htm)

## Votes

- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#16) — **44–5** (pass) · upper
- Final Passage (#50) — **65–33** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Dolan — primary (person)
- Appleton — cosponsor (person)
- Bergquist — cosponsor (person)
- Doglio — cosponsor (person)
- Ormsby — cosponsor (person)
- Pollet — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2017-01-23** First reading, referred to State Government (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report). `reading-1`
- **2017-02-08** SEIT - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `passage`
- **2017-02-13** Referred to Appropriations.
- **2017-02-21** APP - Majority; do pass 1st substitute bill proposed by State Government, Elections & Information Technology.
- **2017-02-21** Minority; do not pass.
- **2017-02-21** Minority; without recommendation.
- **2017-02-24** Referred to Rules 2 Review.
- **2017-02-27** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading.
- **2017-02-28** 1st substitute bill substituted. `substitution`
- **2017-02-08** SEIT - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `passage`
- **2017-02-13** Referred to Appropriations.
- **2017-02-21** APP - Majority; do pass 1st substitute bill proposed by State Government, Elections & Information Technology.
- **2017-02-21** Minority; do not pass.
- **2017-02-21** Minority; without recommendation.
- **2017-02-24** Referred to Rules 2 Review.
- **2017-02-27** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading.
- **2017-02-28** 1st substitute bill substituted. `substitution`
- **2017-02-28** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.
- **2017-02-28** Held on third reading.
- **2017-03-01** Third reading, passed; yeas, 65; nays, 33; absent, 0; excused, 0. `reading-3`
- **2017-03-03** First reading, referred to State Government. `reading-1`
- **2017-03-29** SGOV - Majority; do pass.
- **2017-03-29** And refer to Ways & Means. `referral-committee`
- **2017-03-29** Minority; without recommendation.
- **2017-03-29** Referred to Ways & Means.
- **2017-04-03** WM - Majority; do pass.
- **2017-04-03** Minority; do not pass.
- **2017-04-03** Minority; without recommendation.
- **2017-04-04** Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
- **2017-04-10** Placed on second reading by Rules Committee.
- **2017-04-12** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.
- **2017-04-12** Third reading, passed; yeas, 44; nays, 5; absent, 0; excused, 0. `reading-3`
- **2017-04-14** Speaker signed. `passage`
- **2017-04-17** President signed. `passage`
- **2017-04-18** Delivered to Governor.
- **2017-05-04** Governor signed. `executive-signature`
- **2017-05-04** Chapter 167, 2017 Laws. `became-law`
- **2017-05-04** Effective date 7/1/2017. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/9005e78b-6106-4cc8-886e-eeba2b1a4885`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Washington legislature records).