Week 7 in Olympia: Nurse title protection passes, budget proposals and more
Week 7 legislative session overview
With just 13 days remaining in session, the opposite house policy cutoff passed this week which means any legislation that failed to advance out of policy committees has died. The next major committee deadline, opposite house fiscal cutoff, occurs on Monday, March 2. Any legislation with budget implications must clear this step or it will be considered dead for the session unless deemed necessary to implement the budget (NTIB).
Also happening this week, budget writers in both the Washington State House and Senate unveiled their respective supplemental budget proposals, marking a critical step as the legislature moves into the final weeks of the 2026 session. The releases set the stage for intense negotiations over funding priorities between now and the end of session on March 12, as well as decisions that will shape state programs and services in the coming fiscal year.
On Thursday, February 26 HB 2155 passed out of the Senate with a 46-2 vote!. Ultimately, HB 2155 is the legislative vehicle for the nurse title protection policy, and as such, SB 5904 will not continue moving. The bill now moves to the Governor’s desk, where it is anticipated to be signed into law! Special thanks to Representative Obras as the prime sponsor for this bill and to Senator Bateman as the prime sponsor of its companion bill in the Senate.
Next steps: HB 2155 now moves to the Governor’s desk, where it awaits a final signature into law.
Early this week the House and Senate unveiled their operating budget plans (HB 2289 and SB 5998), which total approximately $79.2–$79.3 billion, an increase from the enacted biennial budget of about $77.8 billion. Both proposals:
- Assume passage of the Millionaire’s Tax.
- Include targeted reductions for state agencies and higher education, as well as shifts in one-time funding sources.
- Rely on a withdrawal of more than $700 million from the state’s Budget Stabilization Account (the Rainy Day Fund) to help balance spending.
- While neither the House or Senate budget proposes across the board cuts to hospitals or core Medicaid funding, they do include program changes that reduce state healthcare spending such as caseload adjustments and the House’s elimination of certain therapy coverage.
Budget writers cite inflation, increased caseloads, and other near-term cost pressures as justification for drawing on reserves. A major driver of new spending is the sharp increase in legal judgments and settlement costs against state agencies. Republican lawmakers have criticized the proposals for increasing overall spending and relying on reserves and other one-time resources rather than structural budget solutions.
Over the next two weeks, budget writers will work together to come to final agreement on program funding levels. In this time, your Government Affairs team will continue to advocate to protect access to healthcare and will provide a more detailed update once the final budget is released.
On February 13, HB 2471 was voted out of the House of Representatives. From there, it moved to the Senate Committee on Labor and Commerce and was passed out of the committee on February 20. SB 6117 failed to advance out of the Senate chamber prior to the House of Origin cutoff.
Next steps: HB 2471 has moved to the Senate Rules committee and awaits a pull to the Senate floor for a vote.
The legislature considers hundreds of bills outside our own legislative priorities. Here is a list of bills we’re watching as they move through the legislative process that may impact members. We will continue adding bills to this list as we move through the legislative session. You may click on any of the links below to learn more about each bill and where it is at in the legislative process.
- PASSED HB 2155 / SB 5904 - Concerning the use of nursing titles.
- HB 2105 / SB 5852 - Concerning immigrant worker protections.
- HB 2110 - Concerning personnel for ambulance service interfacility specialty care transports.
- HB 2113 - Concerning the supervision of diagnostic radiologic technologists, therapeutic radiologic technologists, and magnetic resonance imaging technologists.
- HB 2152 - Permitting the medical use of cannabis by qualifying patients in specified health care facilities.
- HB 2225 / SB 5984 - Concerning regulation of artificial intelligence companion chatbots.
- HB 2264 - Concerning unemployment insurance benefits for workers separated from employment because of employer-initiated layoffs or workforce reductions.
- HB 2289 /SB 5998 - Making 2025-2027 fiscal biennium supplemental operating appropriations.
- HB 2303 - Prohibiting employers from microchipping employees.
- HB 2339 - Concerning the regulation of nursing.
- HB 2345 - Concerning contributions in the state paid family and medical leave program.
- HB 2360 / SB 5951 – Expanding access to albuterol in public and private schools.
- HB 2471 / SB 6117 - Concerning collective bargaining for employees not covered by the national labor relations act.
- HB 2548 - Strengthening health care market standards.
- HB 2577 - Concerning hospital inspections.
- SB 5845 - Modernizing and clarifying timely payment requirements for health carriers.
- SB 5917 / HB 2182 - Improving access to abortion medications.
- SB 5923 - Concerning critical access hospital designations in Skagit county.
- SB 5981 / HB 2145 - Protecting patient access to discounted medications and health care services through Washington's health care safety net by preventing manufacturer limitations on the 340B drug pricing program.
- SB 5956 - Addressing artificial intelligence, student discipline, and surveillance in public schools.
- SB 5968 / HB 2198 - Improving regulatory efficiency by integrating executive order 25-03, concerning permitting and licensing processes, into chapter 43.42A RCW.
- SB 5993 - Prohibiting interest charges for new and unpaid medical debt.
- SB 6025 - Updating the definition of fetal death.
- SB 6134 - Concerning notice to striking workers applying for unemployment insurance benefits of potential overpayment assessment upon receipt of retroactive wages.
- SB 6346 - Establishing a tax on millionaires.
- DEAD SB 6115 – Concerning comprehensive cancer education programs.
- DEAD SSB 6284 - Providing consumer protections for artificial intelligence systems.
- DEAD HB 2073 - Funding health insurance premium assistance.
- DEAD HB 2683 - Promoting transparency and efficiency in health carrier relations with health care providers and facilities.
- DEAD HB 2498 - Concerning nursing education program standards.
- DEAD HB 1812 - Concerning patient-centered equitable access to anesthesia services and reimbursement.
- DEAD HB 2242 / SB 5967- Preserving access to preventive services by clarifying state authority and definitions.
- DEAD HB 2250 - Concerning residency requirements for charity care.
- DEAD SB 5947 - Establishing the Washington health care board.
- DEAD SJR 8206 - Amending the Constitution to establish a right to affordable health care.
- DEAD SB 5823 - Concerning patient advocates.
- DEAD SB 6292 - Establishing a joint legislative executive committee on health care financing.
- DEAD HB 2382 - Concerning excise taxes on cigarettes, vapor products, and tobacco products.
- DEAD HB 2122 - Requiring hospitals to offer immunizations for influenza in certain cases.
- DEAD HB 2144 - Requiring notices to employees when electronic monitoring is used to assist employers conducting performance evaluations.
- DEAD HB 2157 - Regulating high-risk artificial intelligence system development, deployment, and use.
- DEAD HB 2106 - Requiring carriers to provide substantive notice to health care providers and health care facilities about significant contract modifications.
- DEAD HB 2329 - Concerning midwife supervision of medical assistants and lactation consultants.
- DEAD HB 2148 - Creating the pay it forward program.
- DEAD SB 5826 - Concerning access at public postsecondary educational institutions to medication abortion.
- DEAD SB 5990 - Expanding the qualifications of those who may serve as a local health officer in rural counties.
- DEAD HB 1496 - Strengthening patients' rights regarding their health care information.
- DEAD HB 2196 - Expanding access to PANDA PANS treatment.
- DEAD SB 6071 - Standardizing overpayment recovery requirements.
- DEAD HB 2372 / SB 6067 - Concerning workers' compensation benefits.
- DEAD HB 2439 - Enhancing public health by modifying cigarette, vapor product, and tobacco product policy.
- DEAD HB 1828 - Authorizing certain health professions to act as physician substitutes for plasma source donation centers.
- DEAD SB 6031 - Enhancing public safety and enforcement of crimes that impact insurance.
- DEAD SB 5652 - Reducing environmental and health disparities and improving the health of Washington state residents in large port districts.
- DEAD HB 2261 - Ensuring transparency in credentials and communications between patients and health care professionals.
- DEAD SB 6107/HB 2425 - Concerning nursing delegation.
- DEAD HB 2098 - Adjusting higher education funding.
- DEAD SB 5985 - Concerning endometriosis.
- DEAD HB 2100 - Enacting an excise tax on large operating companies on the amount of payroll expenses above the minimum wage threshold of the additional medicare tax to fund services to benefit Washingtonians and establishing the Well Washington fund account.
Interested in learning more about the legislative process? See below for resources.
- How does a bill become a law? Find out here.
- How do I read a bill? Click here to learn.
- To view the Washington State Labor Council’s 2026 Legislative Priorities: click here.
Participating in legislative session is just one way to be civically engaged. As the end of session nears, new opportunities exist to learn how to get more involved in the work we do in Government Affairs. Take a look at the opportunities below.
The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, in partnership with its affiliated unions, is hosting Path to Power: A Political Candidate Training Program, April 21-23, 2026. Location is still to be determined; past trainings have typically taken place in King County or Olympia. This training provides union members and local community activists with the tools and tips to run a successful political campaign and get elected to build power and bring shared prosperity to working communities. Learn more about the program here.
WSNA will sponsor registration fees for up to five WSNA members to attend on a first come, first served basis. Participants are responsible for their own travel, lodging and food expenses. To express your interest, email gov@wsna.org no later than Monday, March 9.
The Public Health Advisory Board (PHAB) invites you to attend a virtual meeting on March 5th from 2-4 pm. Currently they are working on providing recommendations to state leaders about how to assess the wellbeing of the public health system in Washington. Their goal is to take an iterative approach in looking at how broader system partners work together. Please join if you are interested in this idea and collaborate with them to share your input and considerations.
If you wish to join in this collaborative space you may register here!
A little bit about the PHAB: The WA-PHAB was created in 2021 by the Legislature to ensure the priorities of Washingtonians are prominent in public health by bringing together diverse voices and critical perspectives from different sectors and communities from across the state.
Interested in participating in legislative advocacy but not sure where to start? WSNA has you covered with our on-demand Introduction to Legislative Advocacy training. This course covers the basic operations of the state legislature, how to be an effective advocate, and why nurse voices are critical to advancing strong policy in Washington state. It is posted to our website at the link above and available to all – including students who wish to learn more about this topic.
As an added bonus, 1.75 CNE contact hours are available upon completion of this program and respective materials. To take the training for 1.75 CNE, visit WSNA’s Continuing Education site here: Introduction to Legislative Advocacy.
- March 2 – Fiscal Committee Cutoff (Opposite House)
- March 3 – Rally for Immigrant Health, 12:30pm @ WA State Capitol, Olympia
- March 5 – Public Health Advisory Board virtual meeting, 2-4pm
- March 6 – Floor Cutoff
- March 9 – Path to Power deadline for WSNA sponsorship
- March 12 – Sine Die (last day of session)
- April 21-23 – WSLC Path to Power candidate training
- May 4 – First day to file a declaration of candidacy (to run for elected office)
- May 6 – School Nurse Day
- May 8 – Last day to file a declaration of candidacy
- May 16 – WSLC COPE convention
- August 4 – Primary election in Washington State
- September 15 – National Voter Registration Day
- November 3 – General election in Washington State