WSNA in Olympia — 2025 Legislative Session

The pace keeps increasing at the legislature with the first cutoff deadline approaching. All bills must pass their policy committee by Friday, Feb 21st to keep moving through the process. Bills that do not pass their policy committees by that deadline are likely dead for the session. The fiscal committee cutoff is just around the corner on February 28th. It’s likely that many bills will die on the 28th due to their fiscal impact to the state budget.

The budget deficit is getting more real every day. This week, we learned that former Governor Inslee’s “book one” budget (the all-cuts budget that was never made public) contained over $7 billion worth of cuts to health care, human services, higher education, long term care, and developmental disabilities. We are waiting to see the results of Governor Ferguson’s 6% budget reduction exercise directed at cabinet agencies. Those results will be sobering and likely impact thousands of Washingtonians.

HB 1162 currently sits in the House Appropriations Committee with a fiscal note from DSHS that staff are working to address. It must pass out of that committee by the fiscal committee cutoff date, February 28th. If passed, the bill would move to the Rules Committee for a potential vote by the full House.

Mergers and acquisitions in healthcare (HB 1881) also known as Keep Our Care Act or KOCA in past years, had a public hearing on Tuesday, February 11th in the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee. Heather Rosewarne was a labor and delivery nurse at Virginia Mason birthing center before it closed on November 15, 2024. Heather talked about her experience of going through two separate mergers in healthcare over her 20-year nursing career, and how the closure of the birthing center was a huge loss for community members.

HB 1881 establishes a process where the merger, acquisition, or contracted affiliation is reviewed to ensure those transactions do not result in reduced access to quality, affordable care and services.

Thank you to those who signed in support of this bill as it faces an uphill battle towards passage. During the public hearing, there were 1,477 individuals signed in opposition and 827 individuals signed in support. WSNA continues to work with the sponsors of this bill and interested parties to make sure this bill ensures patients’ access to affordable healthcare in their communities and a thriving healthcare marketplace. Please stay tuned for further action around this bill – we need your voice!

SB 5041 was voted out of the Senate Labor Committee this morning, February 14th. The bill heads to the Senate Ways & Means Committee to take a closer look at the cost of the bill.

This bill would allow striking workers to access UI benefits. When voting on the bill, Senator Conway said it would put pressure on the bargaining parties to come to the table and restores the power imbalance between workers and employers.

SB 5270 currently sits awaiting action by way of a vote in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee. We will keep you updated on any movement of the bill.

The Beginning Education Support Team (BEST) is a mentorship program for new school employees, and we want to expand that to novice school nurses. The BEST bill would help support and retain school nurses, especially in rural school districts, by pairing them with a nurse mentor and support system.

HB 1430 is in the House Rules Committee and is waiting to be moved to the House floor for a vote. To read more about the House Rules Committee and the role it plays in the legislative process click here.

The quality of care and outcomes from services provided by ARNPs and PAs are equivalent to that of physicians, but commercial insurance plans withhold up to 15% of the reimbursement from ARNPs and PAs. HB 1430 requires commercial insurance plans to reimburse ARNP and PA care at the same rate as physicians.

The legislature considers hundreds of bills outside our own legislative priorities. Here is a list of bills we’re watching as they move through the legislative process that may impact members. We will continue adding bills to this list as we move through the legislative session. Click on any of the links to learn more about each bill and where it is in the legislative process.

NEW! HB 1764/SB 5578, concerning labor standards

NEW! HB 1879, concerning meal and rest breaks for hospital workers

NEW! HB 1784, concerning medical assistants

NEW! HB 1672, addressing technology used by employers in the workplace

NEW! SB 5044, allowing bargaining over contributions for certain supplemental retirement benefits

NEW! SB 5101, expanding access to leave and safety accommodations to include workers who are victims of hate crimes or bias incidents

NEW! HB 1203/SB 5183, prohibiting the sale of certain tobacco and nicotine products

HB 1334, modifying the annual regular property tax revenue growth limit

SB 5503, concerning public employee collective bargaining processes

HB 1686/SB 5561, creating a health care entity registry

HB 1560, funding health care access by imposing an excise tax on the annual compensation paid to certain highly compensated hospital employees

SB 5240, concerning anaphylaxis medication in schools

SB 5335, establishing the rural nursing education program

HB 1675/SB 5387, concerning the corporate practice of medicine

SB 5526, concerning the regulation of tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, and vapor products

SB 5493, concerning hospital price transparency

HB 1622/SB 5422, allowing bargaining over matters related to the use of artificial intelligence

SB 5271, requiring school districts of the first class to employ a school nurse

HB 1445/SB 5233, developing the Washington health trust

HB 1567, concerning licensure of health care administrators

HB 1077, raising awareness of pain control options for intrauterine device placement and removal

HB 1531, preserving the ability of public officials to address communicable diseases

HB 1022, creating a home for heroes program.

HB 1069/SB 5044, allowing collective bargaining over contributions for certain supplemental retirement benefits.

HB 1155/SB 5437, prohibiting noncompetition agreements and clarifying non solicitation agreements.

HB 1213, expanding protections for workers in the state paid family and medical leave program.

HB 1220, concerning appropriate response to assaults by individuals in behavioral health crisis.

Interested in learning more about the legislative process? See below for resources.

How does a bill become a law? Find out here.

How do I read a bill? Click here to learn.

To view the Washington State Labor Council’s 2025 Legislative Priorities: click here.

Do you know how many nurses are legislators in Olympia right now? None! The legislature needs you! Nurses need you! If you have ever thought of running for office please consider attending this candidate training hosted by the Washington State Labor Council from March 25-27, 2025 in Olympia. If you are interested in attending, please email Sami Bailey (sbailey@wsna.org) no later than Monday, February 17.