WSNA in Olympia — 2025 Legislative Session

Wednesday, March 12, marked the House of Origin cutoff, the critical deadline for bills to advance out of their chambers of origin. With this milestone passed, legislative focus now shifts to the next phase: bills making their way across the rotunda to be considered by policy and fiscal committees in the opposite chamber.

All eyes will be on the state’s revenue forecast release this coming Tuesday, March 18. Budget writers use this forecast to make final adjustments to their budgets. However, the uncertainty of the federal budget looms large, particularly potential cuts to Medicaid. This may make the March forecast a difficult predictor of the state’s economy, with some already thinking that the June revenue forecast will show a more accurate picture of the state’s budget challenges.

The Senate Democrats will release their budget on March 24, with a hearing on March 25th.  This budget will include a combination of billions of dollars in cuts, new revenue, and savings. The House is expected to release their budget around the same time, but it’s unclear whether their revenue package will be included in their budget or announced later in session..

HB 1162 is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee on Tuesday, March 18 at 10:30am. Please take action TODAY! Sign in to support of HB 1162 before 9:30am on Tuesday, March 18. We need legislators to hear loud and clear that WPV is a priority issue for nurses so please take action now and share the action link with others.

Instructions for signing in (please read carefully):

You can sign in support until ONE hour before the start of the hearing, so you have until 9:30am on Tuesday, March 18.

1) Start here.

2) Choose position: PRO

3) Fill out the remaining identifying information, leaving “organization” blank. (Do not put the name of your employer or WSNA here.)

Sadly, WPV has been in the national news lately. Nearly every one of you likely have your own story, or that of someone close to you. This is an excellent opportunity to show our State Senators that WPV should NOT be part of the job. It is the employer’s responsibility to analyze the data around WPV incidents on a regular basis and put in place effective policies and protocols based on that data to keep incidents from happening in the first place. We need everyone to sign in PRO for this bill to show strong public support!

SB 5041 is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Labor & Workplace Standards Committee on Tuesday, March 18 at 10:30am. Please take action TODAY by signing in PRO before 9:30am on Tuesday, March 18.

Instructions for signing in (please read carefully):

You can sign in support until ONE hour before the start of the hearing, so you have until 9:30am on Tuesday, March 18.

1) Start here.

2) Choose position: PRO

3) Fill out the remaining identifying information, leaving “organization” blank. (Do not put the name of your employer or WSNA here.)

SB 5041 would allow striking workers to access UI for up to 12 weeks, leveling the playing field between workers and employers.

HB 1430 requires commercial insurance plans to reimburse ARNP and PA care at the same rate as physicians for only primary care and behavioral health services. The bill has been referred to the Senate Health & Long-Term Care Committee, and we are awaiting a hearing date. We will be sure to update you once it is scheduled.

HB 1220 is the bill that would carve out nurses from the assault III statute. We are pleased to see that it did not pass off the House floor before the cutoff on Wednesday. Therefore, HB 1220 is dead this session - our action was a success. We had more than 500 nurses (at least 475 of them WSNA members) write to their Representatives asking for a ‘no’ vote on HB 1220, which was phenomenal engagement!

This is likely not the last time we will hear of this issue. We will be looking to reach out to the prime sponsor of the bill over the interim to see how we can work together to help find a real solution addressing the problem.

Events/Rallies

• Monday, March 17 at 12pm (noon): Revenue Day of Action at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia. Union members, working families, and advocates are coming together for a day of action at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia on March 17 to fight for progressive revenue. The action is organized by Balance Our Tax Code, a labor and community coalition fighting for a fair tax code. Register to attend here. Click here for more information.
• Wednesday, March 19 at 12pm (noon): “Protect Us and No Cuts to Medicaid” in the parking lot of the Yakima Olive Garden (222 E Yakima Ave in Yakima, WA). The focus of this action is to drive the message to Rep. Newhouse (R-CD4) that Medicaid cuts will devastate people in his district and show what it means to defund Medicaid. This event is being organized by Central WA Families. Please direct any questions about this event to Emilio Meraz-Rodriguez: emilio@centralwafamilies.org.
• Wednesday, April 2 time TBD: Health Care Rally at Washington State Capitol in Olympia. No cuts to healthcare rally, stay tuned for more details.

Upcoming Legislative Milestones

• March 17 to March 21 – Federal Joint recess (in-district opportunities to communicate face to face with your Members of Congress)
• March 24 – State Senate Majority Budget Release and Public Hearing
• March 24 – State House Majority Budget Release and Public Hearing TBD
• All of April – State Budget conferencing in the legislature
• April 2 - State Policy Committee Cutoff (Opposite House)
• April 8 - State Fiscal Committee Cutoff (Opposite House)
• April 14 to April 25 – Federal Senate recess
• April 16 - State Opposite House Cutoff
• TBD – State Final Budget Released
• April 27 – End of State Legislative session in Olympia (unless extended into a special session, TBD)
• September 30 – Deadline for Federal Budget

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.

HB 1879, concerning meal and rest breaks for hospital workers

HB 1784, concerning medical assistants

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

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

SB 5503, concerning public employee collective bargaining processes

SB 5240, concerning anaphylaxis medication in schools

SB 5493, concerning hospital price transparency

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

HB 1308, concerning access to personnel recordsHB 1022, creating a home for heroes program.

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

HB 1069, allowing bargaining over contributions for certain supplemental retirement benefits

HB 1686, creating a health care entity registry

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

HB 1416, increasing tobacco and vapor products taxes

HB 1203/SB 5183, (DEAD), prohibiting the sale of certain tobacco and nicotine products

HB 1560/SB 5638, (DEAD), funding health care access by imposing an excise tax on the annual compensation paid to certain highly compensated hospital employees

SB 5387,SB 5387, (DEAD), concerning the corporate practice of healthcare

HB 1022 (DEAD), creating a home for heroes program

HB 1155, (DEAD), prohibiting noncompetition agreements and clarifying non solicitation agreements

HB 1220, (DEAD), concerning appropriate response to assaults by individuals in behavioral health crisis

How does a bill become a law?

Washington State Labor Council’s 2025 Legislative Priorities

On Tuesday, February 25th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget proposal that outlines nearly $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid and other healthcare programs.

Tell your member of Congress how important Medicaid is to your community and healthcare access! You will be directed to AFT’s action alert, where you first fill out your information, and then the letter you send to your Member of Congress which can be edited before submittal if you choose to do so.

More than 1.1 million people in Washington are enrolled in Medicaid. Cuts would take away revenue from hospitals, especially in rural and remote areas. The proposal to reduce the federal match rate for states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act would force Washington to pay an extra $1.2 billion a year to maintain its Medicaid expansion, when our state is already facing a severe budget shortfall.

Learn more about Medicaid here