Legislative Session 2023
Skip to Our 2023 Priority Bills
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Our 2023 Policy Agenda
Securing Critical Access to Women's Healthcare
- Protecting reproductive rights & access to abortion services
- Funding reproductive healthcare access
- Supporting full funding of foundational public health services
- Addressing health inequities, including improved mental health access for BIPOC and young women
Ensuring Safety for All Women
- Funding for survivor services
- Establishing pathways to justice for hun violence victims
- Promoting victim-centered, trauma-informed responses in the legal system
- Supporting efforts to reduce gender-based violence against Indigenous women & girls
Promoting Economic Security & Economic Opportunity for All Women
- Alleviating the disproportionate economic burden placed on mothers (aka "The Motherhood Penalty") including issues pertaining to pay equity, workforce flexibility, childcare, and the opportunity gap
- Ensuring equitable access to affordable, high-quality childcare
- Addressing housing & homelessness
- Promoting the implementation of Women on Corporate Boards legislation passed with Women's Commission support in 2020
2023 Priority Bills
Skip to Economic Security & Opportunity Bills
Health
HB 1115 / SB 5242 - Abortion Cost Sharing
- Prohibiting cost sharing for abortion.
HB 1155 / SB 5351 - Consumer Health Data
- Establishes consumer rights with regard to consumer health data and defines obligations of regulated entities that collect, use, and share consumer health data.
- Exempts government agencies, tribal nations, and health care information subject to federal and state law related to confidentiality of health care information.
- Prohibits selling consumer health data and implementing a geofence around certain health care entities.
- Makes violations enforceable under the Consumer Protection Act.
HB 1263 / SB 5241 - Health Care Marketplace
- Modifies reporting requirements for mergers, acquisitions, or contracting affiliations between hospitals, hospital systems, or provider organizations (parties).
- Requires parties to submit additional documentation related to charity care; access to care including reproductive gender-affirming emergency and end-of-life care; all current policies and procedures; and explanations of how any of these areas would be affected by the proposed transaction.
- Requires the attorney general to determine through a public process if the transaction would detrimentally affect the continued existence of accessible affordable health care in the state for at least ten years after the transaction occurs.
- Gives the attorney general authority to place conditions or modifications on the transaction or disapprove of the transaction if the transaction will be detrimental to accessible affordable health care.
- Requires the attorney general to monitor an approved transaction for at least ten years.
HB 1286 / SB 5260 - Reproductive Health/Employers
- Establishes a cause of action for a Washington-based employer to recover damages and costs incurred from a judgment entered in another state based on the provision, assistance, or support for reproductive health care services (RHS), with certain limitations and exceptions.
- Establishes a cause of action for a Washington-based employer to recover damages and costs incurred from certain prohibited retaliatory actions related to RHS.
- Provides a public utility or business and occupation tax credit for charitable contributions made to certain organizations providing RHS.
HB 1340 / SB 5400 - Health Professionals/Conduct
- Establishes that participation in reproductive health care services or gender affirming treatment by health care providers does not constitute "unprofessional conduct" under the Uniform Disciplinary Act (UDA) and may not serve as the basis for professional discipline, with some exceptions.
- Establishes that a conviction or disciplinary action based solely on a health care provider's violation of another state's laws prohibiting participation in reproductive health care services or gender affirming treatment does not constitute "unprofessional conduct" under the UDA and may not serve as the basis for professional discipline with some exceptions.
HB 1469 / SB 5489 - Health Care Services & Access
- Provides legal protections for individuals who provide or receive protected health care service from lawsuits and criminal cases commenced in other states.
- Prohibits extradition to another state based on individuals providing or receiving protected health care services.
- Creates a civil cause of action for interference with protected health care services.
HJR 4201 / SJR 8202 - Reproductive Freedom
- Amending the Constitution to address reproductive freedom.
SB 5050 - Breast Implant Surgery
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Requires physicians and osteopathic physicians to provide specific information regarding risks, symptoms, and complications before breast implant surgery.
SB 5100 - Breast & Chest Wall Surgery
- Requires health carriers to provider coverage for breast reconstruction surgery, and beginning January 1, 2024, coverage for chest wall reconstruction.
- Requires the Department of Health to develop a standardized written summary explaining the medically viable methods of treating breast cancer and options for breast and chest wall reconstruction
Safety
SHB 1028 - Crime Victims & Witnesses
- Requires law enforcement agencies to conduct an investigation of a reported sexual assault within 90 days when the testing of a sexual assault kit (SAK) generates a hit in the Combined DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) Indexing System (CODIS), and to provide case status updates to the Office of the Attorney General for all SAKs with CODIS hits.
- Requires the Crime Victim Compensation Program to reimburse a Washington resident who is billed for a sexual assault examination by an out-of-state facility.
- Provides that a medical disclosure authorization to a health care provider or facility regarding a forensic examination remains valid until the end of all related criminal proceedings, subject to certain exceptions.
- Modifies certain reporting requirements imposed on the Washington State Patrol (WSP) related to statewide SAK testing and tracking.
- Extends the statute of limitations that applies to the prosecution of sex offenses where the suspect is identified by DNA testing.
HB 1089 / SB 5114 - Sex Trafficking
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Creates a program for healing, support, and transition services for adults with lived experience of sex trafficking.
HB 1130 / SB 5078 - Firearm Industry Duties
- Requires firearm industry members to establish, implement and enforce reasonable controls regarding the manufacture, sale, distribution, import, use, and marketing of the firearm industry members' firearm and firearm related products.
- Prohibits firearm industry members from creating or maintaining a public nuisance.
- Authorizes the attorney general to investigate suspected violations of firearm industry members' duties and to enforce actions against such firearm industry members.
- Creates a private right of action for individuals who have suffered harm as a result of a firearm industry member's acts or omissions in violation of specified duties.
HB 1143 / SB 5211 - Firearm Purchase & Transfer
- Prohibits a dealer from transferring a firearm to a purchaser or transferee unless the person has a valid permit to purchase firearms, and establishes requirements for the application, issuance, and revocation of permits to purchase firearms.
- Provides that a dealer may not transfer any firearm to a purchaser or transferee until: completion of a background check indicating the person is eligible to possess firearms; and 10 days have elapsed since the dealer requested the background check.
- Requires a firearms transfer application and record of transfer for all firearm transfers.
- Updates firearm transfer and background check processes including updates to conform to the implementation of a state firearms background check program.
- Amends numerous other provisions of law to incorporate permits to purchase firearms consistent with requirements relating to concealed pistol licenses.
HB 1144 / SB 5232- Firearm Purchase & Transfer
- Provides that a dealer may not transfer any firearm to a purchaser or transferee until: completion of a background check indicating the person is eligible to possess firearms; and 10 days have elapsed since the dealer requested the background check.
- Prohibits a dealer from transferring a firearm to a purchaser or transferee unless the person provides a certificate of completion of a certified firearms safety training program or proof of an exemption from the training requirement.
- Requires a firearms transfer application and record of transfer for all firearm transfers.
- Updates firearm transfer and background check processes including updates to conform to the implementation of a state firearms background check program.
HB 1177 / SB 5137- Indigenous Women
- Creates the Cold Case Investigations Unit within the Office of the Attorney General for the purpose of assisting law enforcement agencies with solving cold cases involving missing and murdered indigenous women and people.
HB 1180 / SB 5193 - Firearms/Assault Weapons
- Establishing firearms-related safety measures to increase public safety.
SB 5051 - Dissolution/Document Language
- Requires an order in dissolution and legal separation proceedings to be certified by an interpreter that a sight translation of the order was provided in the party's language if a party has limited English proficiency or is deaf, deaf-blind, or hard of hearing.
- Requires that, when requested with advanced reasonable notice, an interpreter be provided for limited English proficiency litigants by the court for sight translation of the court's order at no cost to the party.
SB 5231 - Emergency DV Orders
- Clarifies the court's authority in issuing pretrial no-contact orders.
- Establishes the process for issuance of an emergency domestic violence no-contact order.
SSB 5006 - Waiver of Firearm Rights
- Creates a new civil infraction for persons who have in their possession or have under their control a firearm after filing a voluntary waiver of firearm rights.
- Permits voluntary waiver of firearm rights to be submitted or revoked either in writing or electronically and requires the clerk of the court to immediately notify a filer and contact persons when a voluntary waiver of firearm rights has been accepted.
- Allows a filer to update contact person information by making an electronic or written request to the clerk of the court.
- Encourages mental health professionals and substance use disorder professionals to discuss with their patients the voluntary waiver of firearm rights.
Economic Security & Opportunity
HB 1124 - Residential Rent and Fees
- Requires landlords to provide at least 180 days' and no more than 220 days' notice for rent increases over 5 percent.
- Allows a tenant to terminate a tenancy without penalty for any rent increase over 5 percent.
- Limits late rental payment fees under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act to $75.
HB 1199 - Child Care & Communities
- Prohibits an association of unit owners in a common interest community from prohibiting, unreasonably restricting, or limiting the use of a unit as a licensed family home child care or as a licensed child day care center.
HB 1238 / SB 5339 - Free School Meals
- Requires public schools, beginning with the 2023-24 school year, to provide breakfast and lunch each school day to any requesting students and at no charge to the students.
- Makes the provision of meals at no charge to requesting students part of state's statutory program of basic education
- Modifies funding provisions for the Learning Assistance Program and National Board Certification bonuses for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years
- Directs the Superintendent of Public Instruction to convene a work group to identify and examine impacts to state-funded education programs resulting from requirements obligating schools to provide meals at no charge to requesting students.
Other Bills The Commssion Is Tracking:
Health
HB 1305 - Health Care Restrictions
HB 1134 - 988 System
HB 1151 - Fertility Services Coverage
HB 1408 - HIV Medication Rebate
HB 1469 - Healthcare Services/Access
SB 5115 - Vulnerable Adults/Mental Abuse
SB 5204 - Fertility Services Coverage
Safety
SHB 1135 - Intimate Images/Civil Remedy
HB 1178 - Firearms/Local Government
HB 1180 - Firearms/Assault Weapons
HB 1207 - Harrasment in Schools
HB 1240 - Firearms/Assault Weapons
HB 1286 - Reproductive Health/Employers
SB 5070 - Nonfatal Strangulation
SSB 5081 - Victim Notification
SB 5171 - Consumer Products/Gender
SB 5211 - Firearms Purchase & Transfer
SB 5335 - Sex Trafficking Prevention & Identification
SB 5477 - Murdered Indigenous Women
Economic Security & Opportunity
HB 1075 - Working Families' Tax Credit
HB 1149 - Housing/Capital Expenditures
HB 1152 - Consumer Products/Gender
HB 1186 - Child Welfare Housing
HB 1343 - Affordable Housing Grants
SB 5171 - Consumer Products/Gender
SB 5225 - Working Connections Childcare
SB 5256 - Child Welfare Housing
