Robin Dale, CEO | March 4, 2022
Today is the 54th day of the 60-day legislative session. There are 6 days until the Legislature is scheduled to adjourn.

Budget Negotiations

House and Senate budget negotiators are locked down and are working on the final 2022 supplemental budget plan, which will likely be released mid-week next week, in advance of the planned March 10 adjournment. Click here for the three-way budget comparison to understand the proposals that are currently under consideration.

As we have communicated in recent weeks, the House budget proposal is most favorable for skilled nursing and assisted living providers, and we continue to drive this message to legislative leaders, budget negotiators, and the Governor’s Office, and it is critical that you are part of this process.  

Please make it a priority to work with your teams to drive messages to the Legislature through our online advocacy system and the toll-free legislative hotline. 
Here is a link to a flyer that you can use to promote calls to the toll-free legislative hotline.

As soon as we have an opportunity to analyze the final budget, we will provide you with that information.

Legislative Deadline Looms

Today marks the deadline for floor action on opposite-house bills that must pass by 5ap.m. to continue forward in the legislative process. Legislators have been working long days to move (or kill) bills. Among the more contentious issues still in play is HB 1837, legislation that would permit the Department of Labor and Industries to regulate ergonomics in the workplace. This idea was rejected by voters nearly 20 years ago – and the idea is as controversial today. In mid-February, HB 1837 passed the House on a narrow margin (50-48), after floor debate raged for over 9 hours.

The bill passed the Senate Labor, Commerce and Tribal Affairs last week and Rules Committee this week and is now eligible for floor debate in the Senate. Senate Republicans have over 40 time-burning amendments ready for debate on the Senate floor. Democrat leaders will have to determine whether they want to spend very limited time debating the proposal. WHCA joins a large coalition of businesses opposing the legislation. Click here to send an email to your own Senator to oppose the legislation.

Policy Update

HB 1124, legislation that would permit registered nurses to delegate blood glucose monitoring to certified nursing assistants and home care aides, regardless of care setting. The Nursing Commission is charged with promulgating rules for training and oversight standards.

HB 1868, legislation that would establish hospital nurse and nursing assistant staffing requirements failed to pass from the Senate Ways and Means Committee, and is presumably dead, unless deemed necessary to implement the budget. WHCA testified in opposition to the legislation, registering concerns about current challenges in competing with hospitals for nursing staff, and has advocated that work continue to build the pipeline of available nurses.

Advocacy Matters

As always, we appreciate your work as advocates; this week, over 1,000 email messages have been sent to legislators with support for the House budget. Thank you to those who have made this effort a priority. Our work on behalf of patients, residents, employees, and their families has never been as important. Thank you for your work to educate and inform your legislators. 
WHCA