Healthcare

signed · Washington · House Mar 11, 2026

HB 2152: Permitting the medical use of cannabis by qualifying patients in specified health care facilities.

HB 2152, titled "Ryan's law," allows terminally ill patients with a qualifying medical condition to use cannabis in hospitals, nursing homes (excluding some residential facilities), and hospice care centers starting January 1, 2027. Facilities must establish written policies prohibiting smoking/vaping, requiring secure storage, documenting use in medical records, and having patients or their designated providers manage cannabis. Patients must provide valid authorization, and staff cannot administer or retrieve cannabis. The law excludes emergency departments and does not require facilities to comply if federal agencies block it, though it clarifies federal scheduling alone cannot override the policy.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands patient access to medical cannabis within healthcare facilities, aligning with treatment options and patient rights in healthcare settings.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Washington · House Mar 9, 2026

HB 2492: Requiring state registered apprenticeships in the building and construction trades to provide behavioral health and wellness training.

HB 2492 requires state-registered plumbing apprenticeships in Washington to include four hours of approved behavioral health and wellness training as part of their continuing education requirements. This applies directly to apprentices in the plumbing construction trade who need to maintain their certification. The training must cover topics like destigmatizing mental health, recognizing distress, suicide prevention, substance use awareness, and connecting to resources. It modifies existing certification rules (RCW 18.106.070) to allow these hours to count toward the required 24 hours of annual continuing education. The bill does not create new licensing standards but integrates mental health support into existing apprenticeship training.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates 4 hours of behavioral health training covering mental health destigmatization, suicide prevention, and resource access for apprentices, directly advancing mental health services.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Washington · House Mar 9, 2026

HB 2113: Concerning the supervision of diagnostic radiologic technologists, therapeutic radiologic technologists, and magnetic resonance imaging technologists.

HB 2113 updates Washington State's supervision rules for diagnostic radiologic technologists, therapeutic radiologic technologists, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologists. It allows these professionals to perform certain injections (like IV contrast) under virtual supervision via real-time video (excluding audio-only) or direct supervision by physicians, advanced nurses, or physician assistants. The bill also requires trained clinical staff to be present during IV contrast administration to handle potential adverse reactions. These changes specifically affect technologists working under physician oversight in medical settings.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAllows radiologic technologists to perform IV contrast under virtual supervision, improving access to imaging services without requiring constant physician presence.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Washington · House Mar 9, 2026

HB 2155: Concerning the use of nursing titles.

This bill restricts the use of specific nursing titles in Washington State to only licensed professionals. It prohibits anyone without a valid license from using titles like "registered nurse" (R.N.), "nurse practitioner" (N.P.), or "licensed practical nurse" (L.P.N.), including nonhuman entities like businesses. Christian Science nurses listed in their official journal may still use "Christian Science nurse" if they don’t claim other nursing credentials. The law expires June 30, 2027, after taking effect on the same date.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRestricts nursing titles to licensed professionals, preventing unqualified practitioners and protecting patient safety by ensuring only qualified individuals use those titles.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

passed both · Washington · House Mar 6, 2026

HB 2168: Facilitating the rapid sharing of overdose mapping information for overdose prevention.

HB 2168 creates a real-time overdose mapping system to help prevent opioid overdoses in Washington. It requires emergency medical services (like ambulances and aid services) to submit anonymized data - such as location, time, whether reversal medication was used, and fatality status - within 24 hours of treating an overdose to a centralized program. This data helps health and public safety agencies quickly identify overdose hotspots and deploy targeted prevention efforts, like public education or treatment resources, without using the information for law enforcement. The bill explicitly prohibits using the data for criminal investigations or identifying individuals, ensuring privacy protections for those seeking care.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareCreates real-time overdose mapping system to identify hotspots and deploy prevention efforts, strengthening public health response to opioid crisis.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

Track

passed · Washington · House Feb 19, 2026

HB 1589: Concerning the relationships between health carriers and contracting providers.

House Bill 1589 updates regulations concerning health insurance companies and healthcare providers. It requires the state insurance commissioner to ensure health carriers' networks include a sufficient number of contracted providers, specifically for emergency, anesthesiology, and behavioral health services. The bill outlines conditions under which carriers can use alternative methods to meet network needs, ensuring patients do not incur greater costs. Additionally, it mandates that health carriers offer providers a meaningful, good-faith opportunity to negotiate contract terms, prohibiting specific actions like failing to provide a clear fee schedule or contract changes.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires sufficient provider networks for emergency, anesthesiology, and behavioral health services, ensuring patient access without increased costs, directly advancing healthcare access and patient rights.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

Track

passed · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 1230: Requiring that experience-rated group disability income insurers include all applicable rating factors and credibility formulas in rate manual filings with the insurance commissioner.

House Bill 1230 requires experience-rated group disability income insurers in Washington state to include all applicable rating factors and credibility formulas when they file their rate manuals with the Insurance Commissioner. These filings must be detailed enough to allow the Commissioner to confirm if a group is credible and to replicate the premium rates for that group based on its experience and demographics. This bill aims to provide greater transparency and oversight for how these specific disability insurance rates are calculated.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill mandates transparency in disability insurance pricing, improving consumer access to clear rate information and oversight of coverage terms, aligning with patient access indicators.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

Track

passed · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 1394: Concerning the retention of hospital medical records.

House Bill 1394 modifies the requirements for how long hospitals in Washington State must retain medical records. It mandates that hospitals preserve all medical records for a minimum of 26 years from the date the record was created, replacing the prior 10-year retention period. This new rule applies to both existing records currently held by hospitals and all future medical records, allowing for retention in paper, electronic, or other formats. It also clarifies that all information from each unique patient visit is considered a medical record under this section.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExtends medical record retention to 26 years, enhancing patient record accessibility and continuity of care per healthcare protection indicators.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

Track

signed · Washington · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 5388: Concerning department of corrections behavioral health certification.

Senate Bill 5388 revises how behavioral health services, including substance use disorder treatment, are regulated for individuals in Washington state correctional facilities. Rather than requiring these services to be licensed by the Department of Health (DOH), the bill shifts to a monitoring process. The Department of Corrections (DOC) and DOH will jointly establish standards for these services, which the DOH will then monitor through annual inspections for compliance. The DOC must implement these standards by July 1, 2027, with DOH beginning annual inspections and providing technical assistance from that date forward.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill revises behavioral health oversight in prisons to improve treatment access, aligning with rehabilitation-focused criminal justice reform by shifting to joint standards with annual monitoring.85% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill establishes joint DOC-DOH standards for behavioral health services in prisons, ensuring continued access to mental health/substance use treatment through monitoring, not licensing, strengthening care delivery.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Washington · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 5579: Prohibiting health carriers, facilities, and providers from making any public statements of any potential or planned contract terminations unless it satisfies a legal obligation.

SB 5579 prohibits health carriers, facilities, and providers from making public statements about potential or planned contract terminations until 45 days before the termination date, unless legally required. This aims to provide consistent policies for communicating with health plan enrollees and affected communities during contract negotiations. The bill directs the Insurance Commissioner to develop standard templates for patient notices, which must include information on affected facilities, appointment guidance, and continuity of care rights. Violations by carriers can result in monetary penalties, while violations by providers or facilities can be referred to relevant licensing or disciplinary authorities.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareProtects patient communication rights during contract negotiations by standardizing notices and preventing premature announcements, ensuring consistent information for enrollees.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare