Thank you to everyone who joined us in Olympia Jan. 30 for Advocacy Day! We are pleased to report the event was again a success, with 109 members representing 55 hospitals meeting with 111 lawmakers throughout the day. This event is key to making our voice heard, and we were successful in doing so.
Also, the first cutoff of session was Wednesday, Jan. 31, when most bills needed to pass out of their committees of origin (except for bills in the House Appropriations and Senate Ways and Means committees). WSHA is excited that many of our high-priority bills are continuing to advance.
Bills still alive after cutoff
Bills WSHA supports
| HB 2157/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. |
| HB 2184 | Authorizing payment for parental caregivers of minor children with developmental disabilities. |
| HB 2295/SB 6101 | Concerning hospital at-home services. |
| HB 2396 | Concerning fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. |
| HB 2476 | Creating a covered lives assessment professional services rate account. |
| SSB 5825 | Concerning guardianship and conservatorship. |
| SSB 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. |
| SSB 5940 | Creating a medical assistant-EMT certification. |
Bills on which WSHA is neutral
| HB 2061 | Defining an employee of a health care facility for purposes of mandatory overtime provisions. |
| ESSB 5481 | Concerning the uniform telemedicine act. |
| SB 6092 | Concerning disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions. |
Bills with which WSHA has concerns
| HB 2122 | Concerning wellness programs for certain health care professionals. |
| SHB 2319 | Concerning substance use disorder treatment. |
| SB 6110 | Modernizing the child fatality statute. |
| SSB 6127 | Increasing access to human immunodeficiency virus postexposure prophylaxis drugs or therapies. |
Bills WSHA opposes
|
HB 1893/SB 5777 |
Concerning unemployment insurance benefits for striking or lockout workers. |
| SB 5059 | Concerning prejudgment Interest |
| SB 5241 | Concerning material changes to the operations and governance structure of participants in the health care marketplace. |
| SSB 5924 | Concerning access to personnel records. |
| SB 5821 | Establishing a uniform standard for creating an established relationship for the purposes of coverage of audio-only telemedicine services. |
WSHA Weighing In: Jan. 29-Feb. 2
WSHA is weighing in on the following bills this week:
Monday, Jan. 29
- Senate Ways & Means
- SB 5811: Expanding the definition of family member for individual providers. (Katerina LaMarche)
- SB 5986: Protecting consumers from out-of-network health care services charges. (Andrew Busz)
- SSB 6126: Increasing access to respite care for those with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their caregivers. (Andrew Busz)
Wednesday, Jan. 31
- House Health Care & Wellness
- HB 2378: Concerning facility fees charged by certain affiliated health care providers. See article above. (Andrew Busz)
Thursday, Feb. 1
- House Appropriations
- SHB 2073: Concerning emissions of greenhouse gases from sources other than methane and carbon dioxide. (Remy Kerr)
- Senate Ways & Means
- SSB 5825: Concerning guardianship and conservatorship. (Zosia Stanley)
Friday, Feb. 2
- Senate Ways & Means
- SSB 5853: Extending the crisis relief center model to provide behavioral health crisis services for minors. (Cara Helmer)
Thank you for testifying!
Thank you to everyone who testified in support of WSHA’s legislative efforts last week:
- Kim Bersing, Chief Nursing Executive, MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital
- Tammy Buyok, President and Market Leader, MultiCare Yakima Valley Region
- Kristy Carrington, CEO, Providence Regional Medical Center Everett
- Tamara Cesena, Chief Financial Officer, Skagit Regional Health
- Dr. Christopher Dale, Medical Director, Providence
- Dr. David Selander, Executive Medical Director of Acute Care and Emergency Medicine, Providence Swedish
- Dr. Jessica Van Fleet-Green, Physician Executive, MultiCare Health System
