Yesterday marked the first cutoff deadline for bills to make it out of committee. Almost all of the bills we are tracking made it out on time. They now have until Monday the 7th to make it out of the House and Senate Fiscal Committees. After Monday’s cutoff, those bills will then need to pass out of the house of origin by February 15th.
Workgroup to study staffing agency price caps. We have made some progress in addressing the price gauging from staffing agencies that many of you have experienced. LeadingAge Washington and WHCA have drafted a budget proviso that directs the Department of Health to convene a workgroup to review the oversight of staffing agencies contracted with long-term care facilities and review these agencies' pricing practices. We are hopeful to see this budget language in the initial Senate Budget.
Bills to Monitor Impacting LTC
Support
HB 1124 - Concerning nurse delegation of glucose monitoring, glucose testing, and insulin injections. This bill is waiting for a hearing in the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee.
HB 1872 - Establishing the care worker center to promote caregiving professions. This bill is still waiting for a hearing in the Appropriations Committee.
HB 1877 - Addressing expired certifications for certain health professions. This bill is still waiting to be pulled to the House floor for a vote. The expired certification process only applies to HCA aids now. CNAs are no longer included.
HB 2025 - Amending types of nonprofit organizations qualified to engage in certain bingo gambling activities and changes to the number of occurrences for unlicensed bingo activities. This bill was passed out of the House Committee on Commerce & Gaming with one amendment that keeps the limit of times per year an organization can conduct a bingo game to twice per year instead of the proposed 12 times in the original bill. The committee did state this change was made because they received opposition after the bill's first hearing.
HB 2083 - Addressing consent to long-term care placement and services. This bill was not passed out of the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary by the cutoff date and is now considered dead.
Oppose/ Concerns
HB 1868/ SB 5751 - Improving worker safety and patient care in health care facilities by addressing staffing needs, overtime, meal and rest breaks, and enforcement. The House bill (1868) made it out of committee by the cutoff deadline and will have a hearing in Appropriations. The Senate companion bill (5751) did not make it out of committee by yesterday’s cutoff. HB 1868 will now be the primary vehicle for this legislation.
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