Friday, March 4, was the deadline for bills to pass the full body of the opposite chamber. Bills that have passed both chambers will next need their final details finalized to account for any differences between the versions that passed the House and Senate, and then they will go the governor for his signature to become law.
We expect the House and Senate to release their final budget on Wednesday, so stay tuned for our analysis. The last day of the 2022 legislative session is scheduled for this Thursday, March 10.
High-priority bills still alive after cutoff
Bills WSHA supports
| SHB 1124 | Concerning nurse delegation of glucose monitoring, glucose testing, and insulin injections. |
| ESHB 1616 | Concerning the charity care act. |
| SHB 1735 | Modifying the standard for use of force by peace officers. |
| HB 1739 | Modernizing hospital policies related to pathogens of epidemiological concern. |
| HB 1761 | Allowing nurses to dispense opioid overdose reversal medication in the emergency department. |
| SHB 1773 | Concerning assisted outpatient treatment for persons with behavioral health disorders. |
| 2SHB 1890 | Concerning the children and youth behavioral health work group. |
| SHB 1893 | Allowing emergency medical technicians to provide medical evaluation, testing, and vaccines outside of an emergency in response to a public health agency request. |
| E2SSB 5600 | Concerning the sustainability and expansion of state registered apprenticeship programs. |
| 2SSB 5736 | Concerning partial hospitalizations and intensive outpatient treatment services for minors. |
| SSB 5790 | Strengthening critical community support services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. |
| SSB 5819 | Concerning the developmental disabilities administration’s no-paid services caseload. |
Bills on which WSHA is neutral
| SHB 1708 | Concerning facility fees for audio-only telemedicine. |
| SHB 1779 | Requiring policies addressing surgical smoke. |
| 2SHB 1860 | Preventing homelessness among persons discharging from inpatient behavioral health settings. |
| E2SSB 5702 | Requiring coverage for donor breast milk. |
| SSB 5883 | Concerning an unaccompanied homeless youth’s ability to provide informed consent for that minor patient’s own health care, including nonemergency, outpatient, and primary care services, including physical examinations, vision examinations and eyeglasses, dental examinations, hearing examinations and hearing aids, immunizations, treatments for illnesses and conditions, and routine follow-up care customarily provided by a health care provider in an outpatient setting, excluding elective surgeries. |
Bills with which WSHA has concerns or for which it is seeking amendments
| ESHB 1821 | Concerning the definition of established relationship for purposes of audio-only telemedicine. |
|
HB 1688 |
Protecting consumers from charges for out-of-network health care services, by aligning state law and the federal no surprises act and addressing coverage of treatment for emergency conditions (Bill amended, awaiting concurrence). |
Bills WSHA opposes
| 2SHB 1850* | Protecting and enforcing the foundational data privacy rights of Washingtonians. |
| 2SSB 5062* |
Concerning the management, oversight, and use of data. |
*These bills may not advance. They are considered necessary to implement the budget, so they are technically still alive.
Save the Date: Legislative Summary Webcast from 12-1 p.m. Wednesday, March 23
Please save the date to join us for the Legislative Summary Webcast from 12-1 p.m. Wednesday, March 23. This important members-only webinar will provide you with important information from this legislative session, including action you will need to take to comply with newly adopted state law. Register now!
