What should WSNA do next for nurses and our communities?
Every WSNA member can help us decide by proposing bylaws changes and resolutions.
Proposed bylaws changes due Nov. 16, 2026
Proposed resolutions due Feb. 15, 2027
Want to change how WSNA works as an organization? Propose a bylaws change.
Want to make your concern a priority for WSNA? Submit a proposed resolution.
In the words of Rosa Potts, chair of the WSNA Bylaws and Resolutions Committee, “The bylaws are the car; the resolutions are the map.”
The WSNA Bylaws and Resolutions Committee is calling for proposals for consideration at the 2027 General Assembly, planned for April 13 at the Hotel Murano in Tacoma. This is your opportunity to ask your association to take a position, pursue an action, or change how it is governed.
Potts, who works in nursing education in Vancouver, has been on bylaws and policy committees at the American Nurses Association and at nurses associations in the states where she has worked.
Yes, she’s a grammar nerd, but what really drove her to work on bylaws and resolutions is her experience as the child of immigrants helping her community navigate systems, including healthcare systems, that are confusing, complicated, and not built with diverse communities in mind.
With that, she encourages nurses to bring forward nursing issues in their communities that have broader implications and that WSNA can influence for the better.
Propose action through a resolution
A resolution identifies an issue and proposes how WSNA should respond. A resolution can establish a position, and it can call for work such as advocacy, member education, partnerships, or further investigation.
In recent years, resolutions have been passed that addressed safe staffing, workplace violence, the rights of internationally educated nurses, and defending collective bargaining rights. As a result, WSNA has taken several actions on these issues:
- Supported successful legislation, protecting private sector workers from potential loss of rights at the federal level by allowing a state-level agency to step in if needed.
- Successfully gained pay parity for internationally educated nurses in their contracts at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma and St. Clare in Lakewood.
- Secured passage of a bill to beef up the state’s 2019 Workplace Violence law to include more frequent data reporting and analysis and annual updates to the hospital workplace violence prevention plan.
How to propose a resolution
Any dues paying member may propose a resolution – you do not need to hold elected or appointed WSNA office.
To begin developing your resolution, consider:
- What problem have you identified and who is affected?
- What position or action are you asking WSNA to take?
- How would that response benefit nurses, patients, and/or communities?
- What practical steps could WSNA take to carry it out?
Think through these questions as you develop your idea and then follow the submission guide’s requirements for the formal proposal and supporting statement.
Send proposed resolution to [email protected] by Feb. 15, 2027
Propose a governance change through a bylaws amendment
WSNA’s bylaws are much like the United States Constitution. They state how WSNA is organized and governed – including membership, leadership responsibilities, and decision-making processes – and they can be amended if approved by two-thirds of the WSNA members voting.
The WSNA Bylaws and Resolutions Committee, made up of members appointed by the Board of Directors, began reviewing the WSNA Bylaws for possible updates in June. The work of the committee continues, and they will recommend action on any proposed amendments to the Board.
Join us at the General Assembly April 13, 2027
Submitting a proposal is just one way you can participate. Join us at the General Assembly meeting to review proposals, bring your experience to the discussion, suggest amendments, and vote.