By Kristine Highlander, AAPPN Legislative Committee Chair
The 2026 legislative session concluded on March 12, bringing to a close the AAPPN Legislative Committee’s formal work of the year.
This was a short session. Although the legislature focused primarily on budgetary issues, AAPPN’s lobbyist, Devon Connor-Green, and our volunteers made our voices heard in the passage of a number of bills. We were also able to raise concerns about bills which may have proved detrimental to the profession and the public.
The high-priority bills that passed include:
- HB2339, which, among a number of updates, makes Prescriptive Authority the default when applying for an ARNP license.
- HB2155, which protects the title of “Nurse” as being only applicable to a human. This is a step to prevent confusion by prohibiting non-human robots and AI from using nursing titles.
- SB5845, which requires health insurance carriers to pay clean claims within 30 days of receipt and issue denials within the same time frame.
- SB5395, which intends to increase transparency by insurance companies related to Prior Authorizations for Medicaid enrollees. It also adds safeguards for the use of AI.
- Also passed was a bill banning non-compete clauses in employment contracts, a bill allowing counties to create levies to fund mental health services in addition to other services, and a bill that requires some facilities to allow the use of medical cannabis to patients with terminal conditions.
We also worked closely with stakeholders and legislators on bills that did not pass. A hearty Thank You to everyone who signed in against HB 2261, a misguided and unnecessary bill concerning the use of the title “doctor” in healthcare settings.
Other bills that died during the session included the use of AI in therapy/psychiatric settings, the regulation of kratom, and the time frame for clawback by insurance carriers.
In addition to the legislative session, AAPPN made progress in other areas:
- Worked with stakeholders on our request to exempt Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses from the Medicaid Prior Authorization requirement to consult with a neurologist or psychiatrist to prescribe valbenazine for tardive dyskinesia. We will continue to work with the Washington Health Care Authority to finalize implementation.
- Signed a letter with a group of other healthcare providers to reject cuts in funding for OT/PT for people with disabilities. The proposed funding cuts were not included in the final budget.
- Signed a letter, with other healthcare providers, encouraging the state to find alternative funding sources for the Healthcare Enforcement and Licensing Management (HELMS) system. The state is experiencing cost overruns of the original HELMS budget. The letter requests that the state be transparent about how much funding has come from licensing fees. There is ongoing dialogue on this topic.
This work would not be possible without the efforts of my fellow Legislative Committee volunteers: Nikki Behner, Kelly Brewer, Zoë Evans-Agnew, David Falikovici, Leslie Hite, Patricia Morgan, and Anna Raymaker.
Inevitably, 2027 will bring back many of the bills that failed, along with potential bills which were not introduced this year due to the difficult budget cycle. We look forward to continuing this work, and welcome you to join our small but mighty crew of volunteers!