OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The governor is signing a steady stream of bills into law after the state’s short legislative session wrapped up earlier this month.
Gov. Bob Ferguson signed more than 40 bills in Olympia on Monday and Tuesday this week, dealing with an array of topics ranging from artificial intelligence to the death of the penny.
Earlier on Tuesday, March 24, he signed a bill that will require AI companies to add mental health safeguards to their chatbots.
Starting next year, chatbots will have to remind users that they’re interacting with an AI and not a human, while also disclosing that they are not a healthcare provider when asked for advice.
Ferguson also signed a bill into law that establishes a system to account for the discontinued penny.
Starting in mid-June, cash payments will be rounded to the nearest nickel, while all other payment methods won’t be affected.
Another new law will ban the use of noncompete agreements between businesses and workers. And the state’s Traffic Safety Commission will now have more authority to review data from fatal crash to inform future decisions.
