When legislative session ends, implementation of the new laws begin. WSHA’s Government Affairs team is hard at work preparing resources to help hospitals understand, prepare and ultimately implement all the new laws.
On this page, you will find a list of the high priority laws passed this legislative session that WSHA is preparing resources and information on. The implementation schedule below identifies the new law, bill number, whether hospital action is required, the resource(s) WSHA is preparing, a timeline for the release of the resources, the effective date of the law, and the WSHA staff who can help address any follow up questions.
This page and the schedule below will be updated regularly, as new resources are released. For WSHA’s comprehensive list of bulletins, please visit this page.
See WSHA’s 2021 New Law Implementation Resources Schedule
Recent Publications
- Miscarriage Management (SB 5140) – Bulletin – effective July 25, 2021
- Audio-Only and Other Telemedicine Changes (HB 1196, HB 1378, SB 5325, SB 5423) – Bulletin – effective July 25, 2021
- Paid Family and Medical Leave (SB 5097, HB 1073, HB 1087) – Bulletin– see bulletin for effective dates
- Supporting Victims of Sexual Assault (HB 1109) – Bulletin – effective April 26, 2021
- DOH Oversight of Acute Care Hospitals (HB 1148) – Bulletin – effective July 25, 2021
- Concerning closed captioning on televisions in places of public accommodation (SB 5027) – Bulletin – effective July 25, 2021
- Public Option (SB 5377) – Bulletin – Section 5 effective July 25, 2021
- Physician Assistant Practice Act (HB 2378 (2020) Rule – Practice Agreements) – weekly article – effective July 1, 2021
- Respiratory Care Practitioners – Scope of Practice (HB 1383) – weekly article – effective July 1, 2022
- Long Term Care Trust Act (HB 1087, passed in 2019 and HB 1323, passed in 2021) – Bulletin – effective January 1, 2022
- Changes to Washington’s Involuntary Treatment Laws that Impact Hospitals, (SSB 5073 & SHB 1314) – Bulletin – in effect now
- New Health Care Worker Protections During a Declared State of Emergency (ESSB 5190 & ESSB 5115) – Bulletin and weekly article – in effect now
- B&O Sales and Use Tax Exemption for Emergency Grants (SHB 1095) – Fiscal Watch Article – in effect now
- Changes to State Law on Mental Health Advance Directives (ESSB 5370) – Bulletin – effective July 25, 2021
- Clean Buildings (HB 1257) – Bulletin – effective June 1, 2026
Upcoming Publications
This Government Affairs teams will issue bulletins on the following new laws:
- Naloxone (SB 5195)
- Amending Necessary Elements of Proof of Injury During COVID-19 Pandemic (SB 5271)
- Guardianship/supported decision-making (SB 6287)
- Behavioral Health Ombud (HB 1086)
- Certificate of Stillbirth (HB 1031)
- 988 Line (HB 1477)
- Increasing Psychiatric Bed Capacity (SB 5236, SB 5092 and HB 1080)
- Improving Access for Low Income & Vulnerable People (SB 5068)
- Washington State Public Health & Health Equity Zones (HB 1152, SB 5052)
- Supporting Victims of Nonfatal Strangulation (SB 5183)
2020 New Law Implementation Resources
- Addressing opioid use, including PMP/EHR integration (SB 6086, SB 5380) – Bulletin – see bulletin for effective dates
- Behavioral health budget decisions – Bulletin
- Changes to Washington’s involuntary treatment laws:
- Part 1: Key changes (SB 5720) – Bulletin – see bulletin for effective dates
- Part 2: Use of video for evaluations of adults (HB 2099) – Bulletin – see bulletin for existing authority
- Part 3: Changes to the involuntary treatment of minors (SB 5720) – Bulletin – June 11, 2020
- Webcast: Key changes to Washington’s involuntary treatment laws – slides
- Model Rights of Involuntary Adult Patients
- Model Rights of Involuntary Minor Patients
- Cost transparency board (HB 2457) – Bulletin
- Data breach reporting requirements (HB 1071 and SB 6187) – Bulletin – in effect now
- Health care benefit managers (SB 5601) – bulletin – effective January 1, 2022
- Home Health Shortage Area Designation – (SB 6359) – Bulletin – in effect June 11, 2020
- Informed consent to pelvic exams (SB 5282) – bulletin – effective June 11, 2020
- Labor relations for DSHS contractors (SB 6096) – Bulletin – see bulletin for effective dates
- Modernizing HIV laws (SEHB 1551)– Bulletin – in effect now
- Non-competition agreements (HB 1450) – Bulletin – in effect now
- Oversight of Psychiatric Hospitals (HB 2426) – Bulletin – in effect now
- Physician Assistance Practice Act (HB 2378) – bulletin – changes effective 2021 and 2022
- Prior authorization (SB 6404) – Bulletin
- Protecting Patient Care (HB 1608) – bulletin – effective June 11, 2020
- Sexual Assault Kits (HB 2318, SB 6158, HB 1016 (2019)) – Bulletin – see bulletin for effective dates
- Substitute Providers (HB 1552) – Bulletin – see bulletin for effective dates
- Telemedicine (SB 5385 and SB 6061) – Bulletin – see bulletin for effective dates
- Worker’s Compensation – (HB 2409 and SB 6440) – Bulletin – see bulletin for effective dates
- New Pharmacy Regulations- (CR 103)- Bulletin effective July 1, 2020
- Pharmaceutical Waste Standards- (CR 103)- Bulletin, effective October 31, 2020
2019 New Law Implementation Resources
- Balance Billing (HB 1065) – Bulletin, Webinar Slides, Model Notice
- Behavioral health – Bulletin
- B&O Tax (HB 2158) – Bulletin upon request
- Data Breach Notifications (HB 1071) – Bulletin
- Debt Collection – Bulletin
- Family initiated treatment (HB 1874) – Bulletin, Webinar slides
- Hospital Policies (SB 5602) – Bulletin upon request
- Long Term Care Trust Act (HB 1087) – bulletin coming soon!
- Maternal Mortality (SB 5425) – Bulletin
- Medical decision making – Bulletin, Model Declaration
- Noncompetes (HB 1450) – Bulletin
- Patient notice re: provider sexual misconduct (HB 1198) – Bulletin
- Peer review/whistleblower (HB 1049) – Bulletin
- Pre-transaction notice (M&A) (HB 1607) – Bulletin
- Public Option (SB 5526) – Bulletin, Webinar Slides
- Safety net assessment (SB 5734) – Bulletin upon request
- Sexual Assault Survivor Services – Bulletin 1, Bulletin 2, Guidance for Hospitals
- Telemedicine – Bulletin
- Uninterrupted Breaks (HB 1155) – Bulletin, Webinar Slides, Pamphlet for Staff
- Workplace safety – Bulletin
- Wrongful Death (SB 5163) – Bulletin
