Legislative Session Week 13
In this week’s update:
- School Nurse Supervision Headed for Governor’s Desk
- Staffing Bill Progresses
- Public Health Policy Bill Dies
- Budget Negotiations
WSNA’s 2017 Legislative Priorities and issue-based one-pagers can be found here.
School Nurse Supervision Headed for Governor’s Desk
Great news! The School Nurse Supervision bill, SHB 1346, passed the Senate with a unanimous vote. Thank you to everyone who spoke with their legislators about this bill. The next stop is the Governor’s desk, where we expect the bill will be signed into law.
Staffing Bill
The Staffing bill (HB 1714) passed out of the Senate Ways & Means Committee on Tuesday. WSNA is continuing to work with legislators and stakeholders on this legislation.
Public Health Policy Bill Dies
With this week’s fiscal committee cutoff, HB 1432 that would have put into state statute the Foundational Public Health Services framework, died. WSNA and other stakeholders are continuing to advocate for the $40 million in new public health funding that was included in the House budget.
Budget Negotiations
Now that the House and Senate have each passed their respective budgets, leadership from each chamber and the Governor’s Office will begin the process of negotiating a final state budget. The last day of the regular legislative session is April 23.