SB 5112 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Establishing a prescribing psychologist certification in Washington state.

SB 5112 would create a new certification allowing psychologists in Washington to prescribe medications for mental health conditions. To qualify, psychologists must hold a doctorate in psychology, complete a specialized master's program in clinical psychopharmacology (including 400+ hours of biomedical coursework), gain 80 hours of supervised physical assessment training, and complete a 500-hour prescribing fellowship. The certification requires passing a national exam and meeting specific education standards, building on existing psychology licensure. This aims to increase mental health access by expanding prescribing authority, addressing a shortage of psychiatric providers as noted in the bill's findings.

Issues: ✓ Healthcare

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Last action Jan 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill → Substitute Bill · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to expand its scope by adding new amendments to the state's controlled substances and pharmacy laws (RCW 69.41.010 and 69.41.030), which were missing from the original version. Additionally, the bill's sponsor list was updated to reflect committee referral, and specific definitions regarding who can prescribe drugs were modified to include physician assistants and advanced practice nurses while removing 'osteopathic physicians' from one specific list. The expiration and effective dates for various sections were also renumbered to match the new content.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include amendments to the Washington State Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission's rules regarding the definition of 'practitioner' and the unlawful possession or delivery of legend drugs, ensuring prescribing psychologists are explicitly included in these broader pharmacy statutes.

SCOPE

Added new amendments to RCW 69.41.010 and 69.41.030 to update definitions of 'practitioner' and 'legend drug' and clarify penalties for unauthorized possession or delivery of prescription drugs.

ELIGIBILITY

Modified the list of qualified supervisors for prescribing psychologist training to include physician assistants, while removing osteopathic physicians from that specific list.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new requirement that prescribing psychologists must obtain agreement from a general medical care provider before issuing a new prescription for psychotropic medication.

Added a new restriction preventing prescribing psychologists from prescribing to patients under age 25 or over age 65.

DEFINITION

Updated the definition of 'practitioner' in the pharmacy chapter to explicitly list advanced practice registered nurses and remove 'osteopathic physicians' from the list of individuals authorized to prescribe drugs in certain contexts.

TIMELINE

Adjusted section numbers for expiration and effective dates to reflect the addition of new content, changing references from Sections 15-18 to 15-20.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 12, 2026

Introduced

By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

upper

Feb 21, 2025

Upper · Passed

Minority; without recommendation.

upper

Feb 21, 2025

Upper · Passed

Minority; do not pass.

upper

Feb 21, 2025

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care at 8:00 AM.

upper

Feb 20, 2025

Upper · Passed

Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care at 8:00 AM.

upper

Feb 13, 2025

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care at 8:00 AM.

upper

1 primary · 9 co-sponsors