Tuesday, April 8, was the most recent cutoff for the state legislative session, when most bills needed to pass through fiscal committees in the opposite chamber to continue advancing. 

The next cutoff is Wednesday, April 16, when bills will need to pass through the opposite chamber to advance. Bills that pass both chambers then head to the governor for his signature, though the House and Senate will first need to finalize any outstanding details (such as differences in the bill language passed by each chamber).  

Bills that are considered “dead” may also become amendments to other bills or they may be considered NTIB, “necessary to implement the budget.”  

Starting April 9, budget writers go into “closed door” negotiations. It remains WSHA’s goal to reduce the impacts of taxes and budget cuts on hospitals. As currently proposed, hospitals cannot afford these cuts, and access to care will be negatively impacted. We are most concerned with cuts to hospital payments in the Public Employees Benefits and State Employees Benefits health plans (SB 5083), the Business and Occupation tax increase (HB 2045) and the payroll tax on employers (SB 5796).  

This is the last push of the legislative session, and if you haven’t yet, now is the time to contact your lawmakers and make your voice heard on issues crucial to hospitals!

Bills still alive after cutoff

Bills WSHA supports

HB 1130  

Utilization of developmental disabilities waivers.  

SHB 1142  

Standardizing basic training and certification requirements for long-term care workers who provide in-home care for their family members, including spouses or domestic partners.  

2SHB 1162  

Concerning workplace violence in health care settings.  

SHB 1186  

Expanding the situations in which medications can be dispensed or delivered from hospitals and health care entities.  

HB 1287  

Addressing the disclosure of health information for care coordination.  

SHB 1432  

Improving access to appropriate mental health and substance use disorder services.  

SHB 1686 

Creating a health care registry. 

HB 1879  

Concerning meal and rest breaks for hospital workers.  

SB 5079  

Addressing the burden of unintentional overpayments on older adults and adults with disabilities served by the department of social and health services.  

SB 5122  

Enacting the uniform antitrust premerger notification act.  

SSB 5124  

Establishing network adequacy standards for skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation hospitals.  

SSB 5239 

Concerning the retention of hospital medical records.  

SB 5480  

Protecting consumers by removing barriers created by medical debt.  

SSB 5557  

Codifying emergency rules to protect the right of a pregnant person to access treatment for emergency medical conditions in hospital emergency departments.  

SSB 5568  

Updating and modernizing the Washington state health plan.  

E2SSB 5745  

Concerning appointed counsel for individuals detained under the involuntary treatment act.  

SB 5764  

Repealing the expiration date for the ambulance transport fund. 

Bills on which WSHA is neutral

HB 1215  

Removing references to pregnancy from the model directive form under the natural death act.  

SHB 1706  

Aligning the implementation of application programming interfaces for prior authorization with federal guidelines.  

SSB 5493  

Concerning hospital price transparency. 

SSB 5579 

Prohibiting health carriers, facilities, and providers from making any public statements of any potential or planned contract terminations unless it satisfies a legal obligation.   

Bills with which WSHA has concerns

HB 1198  

Making 2025-2027 fiscal biennium operating appropriations.  

HB 1382  

Modernizing the all payer claims database. 

Bills WSHA opposes 

HB 2045 

Investing in Washington families by restructuring the business and occupation tax on high grossing businesses and financial institutions. 

SSB 5041  

Concerning unemployment insurance benefits for striking and locked out workers.   

E2SSB 5083  

Ensuring access to primary care, behavioral health, and affordable hospital services.  

SB 5796 

Enacting an excise tax on large employers on the amount of payroll expenses above the social security wage threshold to fund programs and services to benefit Washingtonians 

Notable bills no longer moving forward 

HB 1072  

Preserving access to protected health care services.  

SHB 1155  

Noncompetition agreements.  

HB 1168  

Increasing transparency in artificial intelligence.  

SHB 1313 

Addressing mass layoffs, relocations, and terminations. 

SHB 1344  

Increasing access to respite care for those with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their caregivers.  

HB 1507  

Limiting health care nondisclosure agreements.  

SHB 1546 

Concerning general supervision of diagnostic radiologic technologists, therapeutic radiologic technologists, and magnetic resonance imaging technologists by licensed physicians. 

HB 1567  

Concerning licensure of health care administrators.  

SHB 1784 

Concerning certified medical assistants. 

HB 1881 / SB 5704  

Material changes to the operations and governance structure of participants in the health care marketplace 

SB 5211/SHB 1200  

Authorizing payment for parental caregivers of minor children with developmental disabilities.  

SSB 5254  

Strengthening patients’ rights regarding their health care information.  

SB 5299 

Concerning virtual direct supervision of diagnostic radiologic technologists, therapeutic radiologic technologists, and magnetic resonance imaging technologists by licensed physicians. 

SSB 5335  

Establishing the rural nursing education program.  

SSB 5387  

Concerning the corporate practice of health care.  

SSB 5395 / HB 1566 

Transparency and accountability in the prior authorization determination process  

SSB 5683 

Concerning health carrier transparency of payment timeliness of claims submitted by health care providers and health care facilities