HB2492 requires state-registered apprenticeship programs in the building and construction trades to provide apprentices with at least two hours of behavioral-health-and-wellness training on "destigmatizing behavioral health and supporting wellness; recognizing signs of distress; suicide prevention; substance use disorder awareness and prevention; and providing peer support and connecting to resources."
The Washington State Senate passed HB2492 on February 26, 2026 by a vote of 42 to 6. We have assigned pluses to the nays because mandating specific behavioral-health-and-wellness training in apprenticeship programs expands government interference in workforce development and imposes state-mandated curriculum on personal health issues into trade education. The well-being of workers is best achieved through voluntary employer-led initiatives, private counseling, family support, and individual responsibility rather than coercive state mandates that increase regulatory burdens on private businesses.
