OLYMPIA—Workforce shortages continue to impact Washingtonians across the state. One area that witnessed severe strain is the health care industry. As a result, healthcare access, particularly dental care, was greatly reduced.
Representative My-Linh Thai’s (D- Bellevue) introduced a bipartisan piece of legislation, House Bill 1287, aimed at reducing the shortage of dental hygienists. Current law creates barriers for out of state hygienists due to an active practice requirement. This has made it difficult for out-of-state hygienists to practice in Washington while seeking additional training for full licensure.
With unanimous passage of this bill from the House and Senate, Washington is positioning itself to remove barriers and reduce the workforce shortage. This bill removes a practice requirement affecting out of state hygienists, allowing them to practice immediately in Washington State.
HB 1287 was delivered to the Governor on April 7th and signed on April 13th.