State Senate Passes Hospital Safe Staffing Bill

Today the state Senate passed Senate Bill 5236 (as Engrossed 2SSB 5236), the bill put forward by healthcare workers and the unions that represent them, together the WA Safe + Healthy coalition, to begin addressing the statewide hospital staffing crisis.

The final bill, which passed on a bipartisan 35-13 vote, reflects a compromise between healthcare worker unions and hospital executives after negotiations led by Sen. June Robinson (D – Everett) and Sen. Mark Mullet (D – Issaquah).

“Our healthcare workforce has been asking us to address this situation for a long time, and it has gotten worse throughout the pandemic as healthcare in general has become more stressful, with more people coming in need of care,” said Sen. June Robinson during final passage. “I am so pleased that we are here today with a bill before us that provides really important protections for our healthcare workers. When our hospitals do not play by these rules and provide the protections this bill lays out, they will face corrective actions — they will face consequences. It’s a really good bill that will provide a balance and strong workplace protections for our healthcare workers.”

The bill will now advance to the state House.