Inslee plans to follow federal vaccine mandate

November 19, 2021

Gov. Jay Inslee has announced plans for Washington state to proceed with a vaccine mandate for private employers consistent with the federal mandate previously published by the federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).

As noted in a previous post, we were concerned he might choose to implement a mandate more expansive than the federal government.

Final rules and details are pending. But Inslee said the Washington state mandate, like the federal mandate, would require all employers with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccinations for their workers or weekly COVID-19 tests as a condition of employment.

The federal mandate is making its way through the courts. We expect a Washington state rule may also be challenged. While Inslee did not institute his vaccine mandate for private employers today, we expect to see more details soon.

NAHB recently published guidance for members to ready themselves for compliance.

BIAW will provide additional information on this matter as soon as it is available.