Your voices were heard, and your activism made a difference
This story appears in the Fall 2021 print issue of The Washington Nurse.
The Washington State Legislature’s 2021 Regular Session adjourned sine die on April 25, marking the end of the 2021 legislative session. While the remote session presented new challenges, it also allowed for greater public participation — and the legislature made significant accomplishments.
WSNA members from every corner of our state came to Olympia — albeit virtually — during the session to share stories from the front lines of the pandemic. You provided testimony on legislation to protect health care workers, expand community access to health care and require more detailed and transparent reporting of hospital systems revenues and expenditures. Your participation in the legislative process helped shape important policy that will have lasting impact.
Your voices were heard, and your activism made the difference. Thank you for being part of the process during the 2021 legislative session.
2021 budget priorities
The Washington State Legislature passed its final 2021-23 operating budget on April 25, appropriating $10.6 billion in COVID-19 federal stimulus funds and $59 billion in state revenue. The Legislature also passed a Capital Gains Tax to fund the expansion and affordability of childcare, early learning and K-12 education. Notably, the final budget makes significant investments in our state’s public health system and provides new funding to double the investment in the School Nurse Corps — two long-time WSNA budget priorities. Read the 2021 End of Session Report.
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2021 Legislator Voting Record
The 2021 Legislator Voting Record was developed based on priority bills that WSNA supported during the 2021 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.