---
type: "Bill"
title: "Assisting workers in recovering wages owed."
description: "Assisting workers in recovering wages owed."
jurisdiction: "us/states/wa"
legislature: "Washington Legislature"
session: "2023-2024"
identifier: "HB 2097"
citation: "Washington HB 2097 (2023-2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Berry"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 27
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2024-01-03"
last_action: "2024-03-18"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/54209963-29e3-46e0-8cd1-c06d29d6dced"
source_url: "http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2097&year=2023"
source_hash: "ca697fb021ad3d587c5030f6eba2323fb0c447ae9853b8ec0a5c23185d1725c9"
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 2097 (2023-2024) — Assisting workers in recovering wages owed.

## 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/2023-24/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/2097.htm)
2. **Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/2097-S.htm)
3. **Substitute Passed Legislature** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/House%20Passed%20Legislature/2097-S.PL.htm)

## Votes

- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#6) — **49–0** (pass) · upper
- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#12) — **95–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Berry — primary (person)
- Doglio — cosponsor (person)
- Fosse — cosponsor (person)
- Goodman — cosponsor (person)
- Kloba — cosponsor (person)
- Lekanoff — cosponsor (person)
- Ormsby — cosponsor (person)
- Ortiz-Self — cosponsor (person)
- Pollet — cosponsor (person)
- Ramel — cosponsor (person)
- Reed — cosponsor (person)
- Simmons — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-01-03** Prefiled for introduction. `filing`
- **2024-01-08** First reading, referred to Labor & Workplace Standards. `reading-1`
- **2024-01-16** Public hearing in the House Committee on Labor & Workplace Standards at 10:30 AM.
- **2024-01-24** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Labor & Workplace Standards at 8:00 AM.
- **2024-01-24** LAWS - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `substitution`
- **2024-01-26** Referred to Rules 2 Review. `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-02** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading. `reading-2`
- **2024-02-07** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2024-02-07** 1st substitute bill substituted (LAWS 24). `substitution`
- **2024-02-07** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2024-02-07** Third reading, passed; yeas, 95; nays, 0; absent, 0; excused, 3. `reading-3`
- **2024-02-09** First reading, referred to Labor & Commerce. `reading-1`
- **2024-02-15** Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Labor & Commerce at 8:00 AM.
- **2024-02-19** Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Labor & Commerce at 10:30 AM.
- **2024-02-19** LC - Majority; do pass. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-02-19** Minority; do not pass. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2024-02-19** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2024-02-20** Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
- **2024-02-27** Placed on second reading by Rules Committee. `reading-2`
- **2024-03-01** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2024-03-01** Third reading, passed; yeas, 49; nays, 0; absent, 0; excused, 0. `reading-3`
- **2024-03-04** Speaker signed. `passage`
- **2024-03-05** President signed. `passage`
- **2024-03-06** Delivered to Governor. `executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-18** Governor signed. `executive-signature`
- **2024-03-18** Chapter 149, 2024 Laws. `became-law`
- **2024-03-18** Effective date 6/6/2024. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/54209963-29e3-46e0-8cd1-c06d29d6dced`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Washington legislature records).