Wednesday, March 12 was a significant cutoff for the legislative session, when most bills needed to pass from the floor of their chamber of origin to continue moving forward. Bills next head to the opposite chamber, starting with committee hearings.
Two especially notable bills have died: the corporate practice of health care bill (SSB 5387) and WSHA’s prior authorization bill (SSB 5395/SHB 1566). We are disappointed the prior authorization bill has died, as it would have instituted accountability and transparency in the prior authorization process.
The next cutoff is Wednesday, April 2, when bills will need to advance from policy committees in the opposite chamber. Bills that are considered “dead” may also become amendments to other bills or they may be considered NTIB, “necessary to implement the budget.”
We are also anticipating the Legislature’s proposed budgets to be released in late March. WSHA will review the budgets when they are released.
Bills still alive after cutoff
Bills WSHA supports
| HB 1130 | Utilization of developmental disabilities waivers. |
| SHB 1142 | Standardizing basic training and certification requirements for long-term care workers who provide in-home care for their family members, including spouses or domestic partners. |
| 2SHB 1162 | Concerning workplace violence in health care settings. |
| SHB 1186 | Expanding the situations in which medications can be dispensed or delivered from hospitals and health care entities. |
| HB 1287 | Addressing the disclosure of health information for care coordination. |
| SHB 1394 | Concerning the retention of hospital medical records. |
| SHB 1432 | Improving access to appropriate mental health and substance use disorder services. |
| HB 1879 | Concerning meal and rest breaks for hospital workers. |
| SB 5079 | Addressing the burden of unintentional overpayments on older adults and adults with disabilities served by the department of social and health services. |
| SB 5122 | Enacting the uniform antitrust premerger notification act. |
| SSB 5124 | Establishing network adequacy standards for skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation hospitals. |
| SB 5480 | Protecting consumers by removing barriers created by medical debt. |
| SSB 5557 | Codifying emergency rules to protect the right of a pregnant person to access treatment for emergency medical conditions in hospital emergency departments. |
| SSB 5568 | Updating and modernizing the Washington state health plan. |
| E2SSB 5745 | Concerning appointed counsel for individuals detained under the involuntary treatment act. |
| SB 5764 | Repealing the expiration date for the ambulance transport fund. |
Bills on which WSHA is neutral
| HB 1215 | Removing references to pregnancy from the model directive form under the natural death act. |
| SHB 1686 | Creating a health care entity registry. |
| SHB 1706 | Aligning the implementation of application programming interfaces for prior authorization with federal guidelines. |
| SSB 5493 | Concerning hospital price transparency. |
Bills with which WSHA has concerns
| HB 1198 | Making 2025-2027 fiscal biennium operating appropriations. |
| HB 1382 | Modernizing the all payer claims database. |
|
SSB 5579 |
Prohibiting health carriers, facilities, and providers from making any public statements of any potential or planned contract terminations unless it satisfies a legal obligation. |
Bills WSHA opposes
| SSB 5041 | Concerning unemployment insurance benefits for striking and locked out workers. |
| SSB 5083 | Ensuring access to primary care, behavioral health, and affordable hospital services. |
Notable bills no longer moving forward
| HB 1072 | Preserving access to protected health care services. |
| SHB 1155 | Noncompetition agreements. |
| HB 1168 | Increasing transparency in artificial intelligence. |
|
SHB 1313 |
Addressing mass layoffs, relocations, and terminations. |
| SHB 1344 | Increasing access to respite care for those with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their caregivers. |
| HB 1507 | Limiting health care nondisclosure agreements. |
| HB 1567 | Concerning licensure of health care administrators. |
| HB 1881 / SB 5704 | Material changes to the operations and governance structure of participants in the health care marketplace |
| SB 5211/SHB 1200 | Authorizing payment for parental caregivers of minor children with developmental disabilities. |
| SSB 5254 | Strengthening patients’ rights regarding their health care information. |
| SSB 5335 | Establishing the rural nursing education program. |
| SSB 5387 | Concerning the corporate practice of health care. |
| SSB 5395 / HB 1566 | Transparency and accountability in the prior authorization determination process |
| SSB 5683 | Concerning health carrier transparency of payment timeliness of claims submitted by health care providers and health care facilities. |
