The Senate failed us, but we’re not done

I won’t sugarcoat this. The Senate Ways & Means Committee did not pass our safe staffing bill out of committee by the deadline, meaning HB 1868 is very unlikely to pass this legislative cycle.

We are deeply disappointed, but this is a delay, not defeat.

We’re regrouping with our coalition partners at SEIU 1199NW and UFCW 21 to plan our next steps. One thing is clear: we need to replace Senators who backed the hospital industry with people who will fight for nurses and our patients.

Will you make a donation to the WSNA Political Action Committee to help us elect champions who will stand with nurses?

WSNA’s Political Action Committee (PAC) is a separate fund that we can use for politics and political advocacy. It’s funded 100% by voluntary donations—not member dues. By donating, you help us protect our allies and elect more pro-nurse leaders in Washington.

Legislative fights are hard. While we obviously wish we were celebrating a victory, we can hold our heads high. Thousands of nurses raised our voices, and as a result we got closer than ever before to passing statewide safe staffing standards. You helped deepen our support from our legislative champions, brought new support to our side, and put down a marker in Olympia. This bill may be gone, but the issue will not go away—we won’t let it.

Washingtonians support safe staffing by 74 percent, and we intend to make sure voters know where their representatives in Olympia stand. We’re building a plan to take on senators who chose the hospital lobby over health care workers and our patients—both Democrats and Republicans.

As we plan our next steps, we hope you’ll stay involved. Hospital executives pulled out all the stops to beat our bill, and whatever we do next we’ll need your energy, passion and dedication.

Please contribute to our PAC today, and be ready to help join the fight again tomorrow.

In solidarity,

David Keepnews, PhD, JD, RN, FAAN
Executive Director