The most recent cutoff of session was Tuesday, Feb. 13, when most bills needed to pass out of their chamber of origin. Bills that passed now begin receiving hearings in the opposite chamber. Senate bills move to the House and vice versa. WSHA is excited that many of our high-priority bills are continuing to advance.
The next deadline is Feb. 21, when most bills will need to pass through their respective committees in the opposite chamber (except bills in fiscal committees, which have until Feb. 26).
We also expect the House and Senate to release their budgets early next week. We will provide details and analysis when they are released.
Bills still alive after cutoff
Bills WSHA supports
| 2SHB 1929 | Supporting young adults following inpatient behavioral health treatment. |
| 2SHB 1941 | Home health services for Medicaid-eligible children with medically complex conditions. |
| SHB 2015 | Incentivizing adult family homes to increase bed capacity. |
| SHB 2295 | Hospital at-home services. |
| SHB 2347 | Adult family home information. |
| HB 2476/SB 6309 | Assessment to increase Medicaid professional payment. |
| SB 5802 | Providing flexibility in calculation of skilled nursing facility rates. |
| SB 5184 | Licensure of anesthesiologist assistants. |
| 2SSB 5825 | Guardianship and conservatorship. |
| E2SSB 5853 | Extending the crisis relief center model to provide behavioral health crisis services for minors. |
| SSB 5920 | Lifting certificate of need requirements for psychiatric hospitals and beds. |
| E2SSB 5937 | Supporting crime victims and witnesses by promoting victim-centered, trauma-informed responses. |
| SSB 5940 | Creating a medical assistant-EMT certification. |
| SB 5982 | Updating the definition of “vaccine” in RCW 70.290.010 to include all federal food and drug administration-approved immunizations recommended by the centers for disease control and prevention. |
| SSB 5986 | Protecting patients out of network ground ambulance balance billing. |
Bills on which WSHA is neutral
| 2ESHB 1508 | Health care cost transparency board. |
| SHB 2061 | Defining an employee of a health care facility for purposes of mandatory overtime provisions. |
| SHB 2102 | Establishing requirements for the disclosure of health care information for qualifying persons to receive paid family and medical leave benefits. |
| E2SHB 2128 | Modernizing certificate of need. |
| 2SHB 2166 | Portable orders for life-sustaining treatment. |
| ESSB 5788 | Accessibility for service animals in training. |
| ESSB 5995 | Creating a professional license for spoken language interpreters and translators. |
| E2SSB 6092 | Disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions. |
| ESSB 6110 | Modernizing the child fatality statute. |
| 2SSB 6228 | Concerning treatment of substance use disorders |
| E2SSB 5838 | Establishing an artificial intelligence task force. |
Bills with which WSHA has concerns and is working to amend
| ESSB 5481 | Uniform law commission’s uniform telehealth act. |
Bills WSHA opposes
| ESHB 1893 | Unemployment insurance benefits for striking or lockout workers. |
| ESB 5241 | Material changes to the operations and governance structure of participants in the health care marketplace. |
| SB 5821 | Establishing a uniform standard for creating an established relationship for the purposes of coverage of audio-only telemedicine services. |
Notable bills that are no longer moving forward
Bills WSHA supported
| HB 2184/SB 6167 | Authorizing payment for parental caregivers of minor children with developmental disabilities. |
| SB 6210 | Unlawful detainer actions and expanding superior court capacity. |
| SB 6257 | Defining Washington state residency requirements for purposes of hospital charity care. |
Bills WSHA opposed, had concerns with or amended
| HB 1859 | Rights of residents in long-term care facilities. |
| HB 1951 | Promoting ethical artificial intelligence by protecting against algorithmic discrimination |
| HB 2066 | Provider contracting. |
| HB 2119 | Prohibiting garnishment related to medical debt. |
| HB 2122 | Wellness programs for certain health care professionals. |
| HB 2149 | Protecting consumer personal information. |
| 2SHB 2319 | Substance use disorder treatment. |
| HB 2378 | Facility fees. |
| HB 2466 | Ambulance wait times. |
| SB 5059 | Prejudgment interest. |
| SSB 5924 | Access to personnel records. |
| SSB 6134 | Preventing overdose and illicit use of opioids in Washington state. |
WSHA Weighing In: Feb. 12-16
WSHA is weighing in on the following bills this week:
Wednesday, Feb. 14
- House Civil Rights & Judiciary
- ESB 5241: Concerning material changes to the operations and governance structure of participants in the health care marketplace. (Zosia Stanley)
- House Health Care & Wellness
- SB 5184: Concerning licensure of anesthesiologist assistants. (Katerina LaMarche)
- SSB 5940: Creating a medical assistant-EMT certification. (Remy Kerr)
- SB 5982: Updating the definition of “vaccine” in RCW 70.290.010 to include all federal food and drug administration-approved immunizations recommended by the centers for disease control and prevention. (Andrew Busz)
- SSB 5986: Protecting consumers from out-of-network health care services charges. (Andrew Busz)
- ESSB 6127: Increasing access to human immunodeficiency virus postexposure prophylaxis drugs or therapies. (Katerina LaMarche)
- Senate Environment, Energy & Technology
- HB 1976: Changing the incentive structure for tier 1 and tier 2 buildings. (Remy Kerr)
- Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development
- HB 1946: Creating the Washington health corps behavioral health scholarship program. (Katerina LaMarche)
Thursday, Feb. 15
- House Appropriations
- HB 2476: Creating a covered lives assessment professional services rate account. (Andrew Busz)
- SSB 5802: Providing flexibility in calculation of nursing rates. (Andrew Busz)
- Senate Health & Long Term Care
- HB 1954: Harmonizing language relating to reproductive health care services and gender-affirming treatment. (Katerina LaMarche)
- HB 1972: Increasing the licensure fees that support the Washington physicians health program. (Katerina LaMarche)
- SHB 2015: Concerning incentivizing adult family homes to increase bed capacity to seven or eight beds. (Zosia Stanley)
- Senate Human Services
- 2SHB 1929: Supporting young adults following inpatient behavioral health treatment. (Cara Helmer)
- Senate Labor & Commerce
- SHB 2127: Concerning workers’ compensation incentives to return to work. (Remy Kerr)
Friday, Feb. 16
- House Health Care & Wellness
- SB 5821: Establishing a uniform standard for creating an established relationship for the purposes of coverage of audio-only telemedicine services. (Remy Kerr)
- SSB 5920: Lifting certificate of need requirements for psychiatric hospitals and beds. (Remy Kerr)
- ESSB 6101: Concerning hospital at-home services. (Katerina LaMarche)
