Rep. Monica Stonier

Maddy summaryHB 1555 changes how Washington state pays nursing homes for services starting July 1, 2025. It replaces the current system with a new three-part payment structure: direct care (covering staffing and therapy), indirect care (administrative and maintenance costs), and capital (facility costs). Payment rates will be adjusted annually based on the most recent cost data, with specific caps limiting how much rates can increase compared to previous years (e.g., a 142% cap for 2025). The bill directly affects nursing home providers receiving state Medicaid payments across Washington, aiming to better align payments with actual operating costs while maintaining minimum staffing standards.

Maddy summaryHB 1561 extends key labor protections to domestic workers in Washington state, including nannies, house cleaners, home care workers, and household managers. The bill requires employers to pay the state minimum wage, provide overtime pay for hours over 40 per week, mandate 30-minute meal breaks after 2-5 hours of work, and guarantee 10-minute rest breaks every four hours. It also mandates written employment agreements in understandable language covering pay, schedule, and benefits, while prohibiting waivers of legal rights or forced arbitration clauses. The law explicitly excludes casual babysitters, family members, and workers in certain home-sitting roles from coverage.

Maddy summaryHB 1881 requires health care entities to notify Washington’s attorney general and health care authority about major mergers, acquisitions, or contracting affiliations that could impact competition or access to care. It mandates review of these transactions to ensure they maintain or improve access to emergency, primary, reproductive, end-of-life, and gender-affirming care - specifically addressing concerns that past deals reduced access to these services. The bill supplements federal antitrust laws by covering transactions below federal reporting thresholds and giving state agencies tools to investigate potential anticompetitive harm. It directly affects health care providers, insurers, and hospital systems entering significant ownership changes. The law aims to prevent price hikes and limited provider choices, particularly in rural areas, while protecting access to medically necessary care for vulnerable communities.

Maddy summaryHB 1830 requires schools, educational organizations, and their contractors to conduct fingerprint-based background checks through Washington State Patrol and FBI systems for employees and volunteers with regularly scheduled unsupervised access to children under 18 or people with developmental disabilities. This applies to volunteers working with small groups (5 or fewer children under 12, 3 or fewer aged 12-18, or individuals with developmental disabilities) without supervision from staff or guardians. Existing background checks conducted within the previous two years may be used instead of new checks, and costs include state/federal fees plus administrative charges. The bill specifies the process for conducting checks, limits database access, and outlines disqualification notification procedures.

Maddy summaryHB 1567 requires health care administrators at Washington hospitals to obtain a state license starting January 1, 2027. It defines these roles as nonclinical managers or directors who oversee hiring, compliance, operations, or patient care policies for clinical staff, but excludes federal employees like those in the U.S. Armed Forces. The bill mandates passing a state-administered exam on health care laws and ethics, paying fees, and completing annual continuing education to maintain licensure. The Washington Department of Health will manage licensing, set fees, and enforce rules, including disciplinary actions for unprofessional conduct like unsafe fiscal decisions. This applies only to hospital employees in Washington, not to all health care workers.

Maddy summaryHB 1430 requires health carriers in Washington state to reimburse advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants at the same rate as physicians for providing identical health care services. This mandate applies to health plans issued or renewed starting January 1, 2026, excluding those offered to public employees. Health carriers are prohibited from decreasing physician reimbursement rates to meet this requirement. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner will collect data on the implementation, including rate changes and costs, and report to the legislature by July 1, 2027. This section does not apply to advanced practice registered nurses or physician assistants who are employees of a health maintenance organization.

Maddy summaryHB 1672 restricts how Washington employers can use technology to monitor employees, requiring clear notice and limiting monitoring to specific, necessary purposes. Employers must provide 15 days' written notice detailing the monitoring method, purpose, data usage, and access rules before implementation, and can only use electronic monitoring for essential job functions, safety, production tracking, or compensation calculation. The law explicitly protects sensitive employee data, including health information like gender-affirming care, reproductive health, and biometric details, preventing misuse for employment decisions. It directly affects all Washington employees subject to workplace technology monitoring, ensuring transparency and limiting invasive practices.

Maddy summaryHB 1090 requires health benefit plans in Washington State (effective January 1, 2026) to cover a 12-month supply of contraceptive drugs at one time, rather than requiring multiple refills. This directly affects health insurers and enrollees, mandating that plans provide this coverage unless an enrollee or provider requests a smaller supply. Key provisions include allowing on-site dispensing at providers' offices (when available) and requiring plans to follow clinical guidelines for appropriate prescribing. The bill defines "contraceptive drugs" to include all FDA-approved pregnancy prevention medications, such as oral, transdermal, and intravaginal hormonal drugs.

Maddy summaryHB 1124 creates a new prescribing psychologist certification in Washington state, allowing licensed psychologists to prescribe psychotropic medications after meeting specific training requirements. It directly affects psychologists who complete an additional master's degree in clinical psychopharmacology, 500 hours of supervised prescribing fellowship, and pass a national exam. Key provisions require applicants to hold a doctorate in psychology, complete biomedical coursework, and gain supervised clinical experience in physical assessments and medication management. The bill aims to expand mental health access by addressing provider shortages, as noted in the legislature's findings that over half of Washington residents with mental health conditions did not receive treatment last year.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates Washington's child fatality review process to better identify preventable causes of death for children up to age 19. It requires local health departments to conduct confidential reviews of child deaths, protecting all private information collected from families, health staff, and medical providers. The law mandates that hospitals, schools, law enforcement, and other agencies must provide medical records and related data without charge for these reviews, while prohibiting the use of review materials in court proceedings. It also creates legal immunity for review participants and allows health departments to track trends through anonymized data. The policy change replaces outdated "mortality" terminology with "fatality" throughout the statute.