Compliance Stuff

Continuing the trend of new state-by-state artificial intelligence (“AI”) regulations, Oregon and Washington both enacted laws regulating AI companion chatbots in March 2026, following California’s lead . Oregon’s SB 1546 and Washington’s HB 2225 will both take effect on January 1, 2027. This Legal Update provides an overview of these new laws and summarizes the key differences from California’s companion chatbot law. I. WASHINGTON HB 2225 Similar to California’s companion chatbot law, Washington’s HB 2225 defines “AI companion chatbot” as an “artificial intelligence system with a natural language interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to user inputs, including by exhibiting anthropomorphic features, and is able to sustain a relationship across multiple interactions.” HB 2225 broadly excludes: chatbots for business functions (such as technical assistance and customer service) “if such bot does not sustain a relationship across multiple interactions and generate outpu...

Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson recently signed bills that will affect labor and employment law in areas such as reductions in force, pregnancy accommodations, noncompete agreements, traditional labor relations, and wage and hour claims. Quick Hits Washington State Governor Ferguson recently signed a wide range of labor and employment legislation into law, including bills that address reductions in force, pregnancy accommodations, noncompete agreements, traditional labor relations, behavioral health in the construction industry, and wage and hour claims. HB 1155, which bans noncompetition agreements with employees and independent contractors, will take effect on June 30, 2026; the other laws will take effect on June 11, 2026. These bills were signed by the governor in recent weeks: Separation of employment SB 6106  amends the  Washington WARN law  (called the STABLE Act) t o remove “any Indian tribe” from the definition of “employer.” It also limits the disclosure ...