Legislative affairs

WSNA in OIympia #

We stay on top of issues and bills in that impact the nursing profes­sion, health care and collec­tive bargaining. Through regular updates and oppor­tu­ni­ties to partic­i­pate in the polit­ical process, WSNA helps nurses stay informed and have a say in the decisions that impact your practice. 

Don't miss these upcoming events! #

 

2020 legislative session #

This year we worked on…

Budget priorities
  • School Nurse Corps funding
    Improve the health and safety of K‑12 students across Washington by funding OSPI’s request for an additional $2.75 million for the School Nurse Corps which funds nurses in Class II (small, rural) school districts.
  • Nursing educa­tion funding
    Increase funding for four-year univer­sity nursing faculty salaries to recruit and retain well-quali­fied educa­tors. Provide schol­ar­ship and loan repay­ment funding that allows finan­cial stability while giving under­served commu­ni­ties additional providers. Increase training oppor­tu­ni­ties for sexual assault nurse examiners.
Policy priorities
  • Sexual assault nurse examiners
    Increase access to training, improve reimburse­ment and call payments, and create unifor­mity around the state to ensure victims receive the care they deserve.
  • ARNP reimburse­ment parity
    Require health plans to reimburse ARNPs at the same rate as physi­cians when the same service is provided, aligning with the practice of Washington State Medicaid and the Depart­ment of Labor & Industries.
  • Health system trans­parency
    Require increased trans­parency of health system finan­cial reporting, including disag­gre­ga­tion of data.

Downloads

Advocacy toolkit #

Legislator voting record
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The 2020 Legis­lator Voting Record was devel­oped based on priority bills that WSNA supported during the 2020 state legisla­tive session. Not all WSNA priority bills were voted on in both chambers, which is why the bills lists differ from Senate to House. As the voting records indicate, most nursing issues have bipar­tisan support in Olympia.

Find your voting district
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What district am I in?

Look up bill information on the legislature’s website #

Search for a bill

Register to vote #

Washington state voter registration

News #

WSNA-PAC Endorsements

WSNA-PAC endorses in many statewide races but does not endorse for Federal Elections such as Congres­sional or Presi­den­tial races.

Asking for an upgrade

WSNA has long opposed the Nurse Licensure Compact for a variety of reasons — and in 2019, WSNA spent nearly 20 hours meeting with the members of the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission to discuss those concerns. In the end, many of our key concerns remained.

Thinking about running for office?

Nurses make outstanding lawmakers, and right now we don’t have enough of them. If you are thinking about running for office, taking these steps in advance will help you succeed.

TAKE ACTION: Our census is our power!

A few weeks ago, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that the 2020 Census will end early on Sept. 30, which will result in an incomplete and inaccurate count of people. We cannot let that happen.

Governor updates vulnerable worker protections

On July 29, Governor Jay Inslee updated the proclamation that provides protections for vulnerable workers in Washington state and extended it through the duration of the current state of emergency.

Nurses campaigning in a time of coronavirus

In this election year, the pandemic has made one thing crystal clear: nurses are vitally important to the health of our communities. We need nurses — in our hospitals, in our long-term care facilities, in our schools and in our state legislature.

More...

WSNA staff contacts #

Jennifer Muhm, MPA

Katharine Weiss, MPA