Dear Friends and Neighbors,  

I’m looking forward to seeing many of you at our mini town hall next week. Read on for details and invitation!  

We’ve been very busy on the House floor this week and last week, running bills late into the night to push our priorities forward. I’m honored to share that we passed 328 bills, 60% of which were passed unanimously, and 78% of which were passed with 80 votes or more.  

Thank you so much to those of you who responded to our community safety survey in the last E-Newsletter—I really appreciate you taking the time to share what kind of support is the most meaningful to you and your family. 

In response to the Supreme Court’s State v. Blake response, SB 5467 received the highest percentage of votes in support. This bill would encourage substance use treatment in response to possession and require a jail sentence if individuals do not comply with treatment. The only bill that received a higher percentage of votes in opposition than support was SB 5624, enacting decriminalization of possession and providing support for expansion of substance use disorder treatment programs.  

• We’re streamlining licensing and certification for in-demand professions by removing barriers of entry into the workforce for prospective candidates and increasing access to applied degrees across the state: House Bill 1009, House Bill 1030, House Bill 1069, and House Bill 1001 will make is easier for military spouses to pursue new employment opportunities, allow regional universities to offer applied doctoral degrees to train the highly skilled workforce of tomorrow, and streamline certification of mental health counselors, speech therapists and audiologists in Washington.  

• We’re increasing behavioral health workforce and provider rates to support a crucial part of the state’s mental health workforce that is experiencing an unprecedented demand for these services. We’re looking at rate increases for services funded through the state’s Apple Health Medicaid program, as well as services that Medicaid does not cover and services for those who do not qualify for federal programs. We’re also investing in supports for state workers in our state hospitals such as increases to direct staffing and violence reduction programs to ensure a safe and healthy environment for patients and staff. 

• Medicaid patients have faced workforce shortages, higher costs due to inflation and supply-chain shortages during the pandemic. A rate increase will help these providers recruit and retain direct care workers in skilled nursing homes and assisted living settings. We’re also working on adjusting rates for nursing services, specialty dementia care and enhanced services. In skilled nursing facilities, the pandemic led to a lower number of patients and higher costs for staffing and supplies. The state is working on investments to adjust the occupancy threshold for these facilities from 90% to 80% and will annually rebase the costs during the 2023-25 biennium. This rate adjustment will more accurately reflect the higher costs that these facilities incurred during the pandemic. Rates will also be increased for assisted living, enhanced residential care and adult residential care. This will help providers cover higher employee wage and services costs during the pandemic. 

• House Bill 1643 brings hospitals and the state together to address the nursing shortage through the establishment of a nurse student loan repayment program. Nursing programs can be cost prohibitive for many, and in the wake of a shortage that exacerbated a public health emergency, nurses are needed more than ever. 

• Washington’s workforce programs play a critical role in educating and training Washingtonians for high-demand careers, and many of these programs serve as the only pipeline into specialized fields. However, due to rising costs, maintaining these programs has become increasingly difficult. To mitigate these difficulties and ensure that Washington continues to develop a strong workforce, we’re investing in workforce programs housed at community and technical colleges across the state. 

• As we transition to a clean energy and climate-resilient future, it is essential that we create pathways for workers, young adults and communities to thrive in our new landscape, and ensure that we have a workforce ready to create Washington’s clean future. House Bill 1176 creates the Washington Climate Corps to enable and empower climate service opportunities for young adults and veterans. It will build on existing service networks to increase equitable access to services, and target service opportunities toward communities disproportionately impacted by pollution. 

• The Governor is working on creating a clean energy technology workforce advisory committee and direct the State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, working with Commerce and the Employment Security Department, to evaluate the workforce impacts of Washington’s climate policies to help forecast and prepare for clean energy job growth. The advisory committee will recommend strategies to prevent workforce displacement, support job creation in clean energy technology sectors, and provide support for workforce-related changes to businesses and for adversely impacted workers.