Week 14 update from Olympia and Action Alert
Just days away from the end of legislative session and important Action Alert re: PTSD bill.
April 14, 2023 • 2 minutes to read
Welcome to WSNA's update from Olympia and the 2023 legislative session.
In this week’s update you'll find a recap on week 14 including:
1. Legislative session winds down - Sine Die April 23rd
2. Update on Safe Staffing Standards bill
3. Expanding workers compensation for nurses with PTSD - Take Action TODAY!
1. Legislative session winds down - Sine Die April 23rd
We are just 9 days away from Sine Die, also known as the adjournment of session. That means that the Legislature is working hard to finalize the budget and move the last group of bills. We expect the final budget to be released at the end of next week. April 12th was the opposite house cutoff which means that every bill that was still alive had to be voted on by the opposite chamber or it would no longer be viable. This does not include concurrence votes on bills that were amended in the House or Senate.
2. Update on Safe Staffing Standards bill
Last week the House voted 92-6 to pass our safe staffing bill, SB 5236. The bill was signed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate on April 7th. The bill is now on its way to the desk of the Governor for his signature.
3. Expanding workers compensation for nurses with PTSD - Action Alert below
SB 5454 passed the House 57-40 on April 7th. The bill is now waiting for a concurrence vote from the Senate to support the changes made by the House. The House amendment added a presumption back into the bill which puts the burden of having to prove that an employee didn’t get PTSD on the job at work on the employer. This presumption is important because it will speed up the workers claims process and reduce barriers for nurses seeking care for their PTSD.