by The deadline for Washington bills to pass from their original chamber expired last week, leaving most bills that did not receive a plenary vote out of consideration in this session.
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Several health-related bills have passed their House of Origin and are now awaiting votes in the opposite chamber. The following bills have passed the Senate and are now awaiting a vote in the House of Representatives:
Several bills that would supplement the state’s nursing staff are still alive, including Senate Act 5582which would break down barriers and expand educational opportunities to increase the state’s nursing workforce.
SB5499 would enter Washington into the Nursing certificate compact, which expedites admissions for RNs and LPNs already licensed in another state. Washington is one of only 13 states that are not members of the Compact.
SB5236 would improve nurse and health worker safety and patient care by setting minimum standards for staffing levels in hospitals.
SB5263 would form a working group from various health agencies to provide advice and recommendations to an advisory panel to develop a comprehensive regulatory framework for a regulated psilocybin system in the state.
SB5453 would make Washington the 41st state to outlaw female genital mutilation.
Senate 8006 Joint Memorial would ask the federal government to create a universal health care program or work with the state to introduce a single-payer health care system.
SB5242 would prohibit cost-sharing for coverage for abortion services.
SB5120 would direct the Department of Health and Human Services (DOH) to license or certify 23-hour crisis response centers, a new type of crisis diversion facility aimed at serving people regardless of their behavioral health acuity.
SB5189 establish the profession of behavioral health support specialist and require the Board of Health to ensure that behavioral health support specialist services are covered by the state Medicaid program by January 1, 2025.
SB5036 would improve telemedicine access by extending by six months the date for which an interactive remote appointment between a patient and a healthcare provider can replace an in-person reimbursement appointment for a healthcare provider using only audio telemedicine.
SB5050 would require physicians and osteopathic physicians to provide specific information on risks, symptoms, and complications before performing breast implant surgery.
SB5396 would prohibit health insurers that cover complementary and diagnostic breast exams from requiring co-payment for the exams.
SB5632 would require the Health Benefit Exchange to administer a premium assistance program for workers who lose employer-provided health insurance due to a labor dispute.
SB5729 would remove the expiration date of the $35 co-payment cap on insulin.
The following bills have passed the House of Representatives and are now awaiting a Senate vote:
House bill 1357 would modernize the pre-approval process for health insurance to reduce wait times for procedures and prescription drugs.
HB1745 would increase diversity in clinical trials. It would require that the University of Washington, Washington State University, and any hospital or government agency receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health for clinical trials of drugs and medical devices provide information in a language other than English in order to provide culture-specific recruitment materials and to provide electronic consent where available.
HB1134 would strengthen the 988 hotline and behavioral health services in the state. It would establish recognition for mobile rapid response response teams and community-based response teams that meet staffing, vehicle and training standards, and a benefit payment program to support them.
HB1155 would protect confidential patient information by engaging in the collection, sharing and sale of consumer health information. It would establish consumers’ rights to access, withdraw consent and delete consumer health data.
HB1082 would allow physical and occupational therapists to share an ownership interest in a healthcare practice with other healthcare professionals, rather than just within their practice area.
HB1069 would waive it Advice compact in the state. The Compact allows professional advisers who are licensed in one Compact member state and who are leaving to practice in other Compact member states without the need for multiple licenses.
HB1039 would allow physiotherapists to perform intramuscular needling after receiving confirmation of intramuscular needling from the Ministry of Health.
HB1222 would require large non-grandfathered group health plans to provide coverage for hearing aids.
HB1452 would found a state Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) within DOH. The MRC is a national network of volunteers organized locally to complement existing emergency and public health resources.
HB1287 would eliminate the state requirement that a dental hygienist actively practice in another state or Canadian province in order to qualify for a limited license in Washington.
HB1247 would establish music therapy as a new health profession requiring a license to practice in Washington. It would create the Music Therapy Advisory Committee within the DOH.
HB1265 would amend the property tax exemption for properties owned by a non-profit organization and used as a family home for adults for people with intellectual disabilities to ensure that the exemption can be claimed regardless of whether the services are provided by a non-profit organization or a other licensed providers.
HB1469 would protect residents seeking, offering, or facilitating abortion or gender-affirming care from extragovernmental investigations and prosecutions.
HB1340 would prevent medical regulatory authorities from retaliating against clinicians for providing reproductive health services and gender-affirming care.
