The 2020 legislative session began Monday, Jan. 13. This year’s session is the second in the two-year biennium and will last for 60 days, making it a “short” session. The deadlines for negotiating bills and providing input through testimony are very condensed in a short session. Given you are the experts on the ground, we will need member input in several important areas. As this is a supplemental year with no major new revenues, we do not expect new big investments for health care. Our priorities for this session are to:
- Ensure patients have access to care before, during and after hospitalization
- Ensure hospitals can be stable institutions serving their communities, long into the future
- Maintain flexibility for hospital operations while preventing burdensome and costly new regulations
We look forward to working with our state’s elected leaders to advance legislation that will benefit Washingtonians and help them live the healthiest lives they can. And, we invite you to join us in person during Hospital Advocacy Days in Olympia Jan. 29-30. The event kicks off the afternoon of Wednesday, Jan. 29 with a legislative briefing, advocacy training and networking dinner. On Jan. 30, we will have a second legislative briefing (a repeat of the Wednesday briefing, in case you can’t make the first one) followed by legislative visits throughout the day. Registration is available online.
You can read our full list of legislative priorities on our website. Policy and budget briefs are now available on our website as well. Our Inside Olympia newsletter is also a great way to keep apprised of the legislature’s activities. Click here to subscribe.
