In 2023 the Washington State Legislature passed HB 1301 requiring the Department of Licensing to conduct an annual review analyzing professional licenses issued by the state. After review the Department will make relevant recommendations to the legislature on whether those licenses should be terminated, continued, or modified. The Department of Licensing published its 2024 Report, and out of the four professions reviewed, court reporting is the only profession for which they are recommending no changes. According to NCSA Delegate Sierra Zanghi, RSR, of Bothell, Wash., court reporters were among the first four professions chosen to be reviewed. “This is a huge victory for us, but it’s not completely over,” Zanghi wrote to fellow delegates in an email.
The 2024 report will be submitted to the Washington State legislature, who then has the power to act on the recommendations. “We face the same threats from ’digitals’ out here that we’re battling across the country, and they may try to make a land grab here through back channels. But other than that we have no reason to believe that the legislature will take any action to affect us, especially in light of this report,” Zanghi wrote. “Overall, we are pleased with the conclusions of this report and hope that other states and NCRA will take this concrete data (from a reputable outside source) back with them, perhaps as a case study for continued success.”
