Bill would allow pharmacy owners who are not pharmacists to serve on Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission

Senate staff briefed the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee on March 13 that House Bill 1009 would alter membership rules for the Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission to allow one seat currently reserved for a pharmacist to be filled by a public member who is an owner, operator or officer of a pharmacy and who is not a pharmacist or pharmacy technician.

Rohan Bhattacharjee, committee staff, told the panel the commission currently has 15 members: 10 pharmacists, four public members and one pharmacy technician. "The bill before you allows for one seat currently designated for a pharmacist member to be filled by a public member who is an owner, operator or officer of a pharmacy and who is not a pharmacist or a pharmacy technician," he said. He also noted the bill passed the House by a vote of 96-0.

Representative Sam Lowe, the bill’s prime sponsor, told the committee the proposal is intended to allow pharmacy owners who are not pharmacists to be eligible for appointment so the commission better represents business owners and operators. "This particular bill is really to just make sure that everybody in the state has a chance to be on this board," Representative Lowe said. "If you're not a pharmacist and you own a pharmacy, you're not allowed to be on the board. And so this particular bill just clarifies that you can have that. It doesn't require that. But it now gives everybody the opportunity to be on this board."

Several witnesses supported the bill during testimony. Rick Hughes, a San Juan County business owner who operates Ray's Pharmacy on Orcas Island, described running a rural pharmacy and said owners who work in small communities bring practical perspectives on access to care. "People who are in the trenches every day can provide really great perspectives from a small business and a rural perspective," Hughes said.

Dr. Jenny Arnold, CEO of the Washington State Pharmacy Association, testified in support and recommended a friendly amendment to add a second pharmacy technician to the commission. "There are over 9,500 technicians licensed within the state," Arnold said, adding that a second technician would ensure the technician voice is not lost if the single technician member is unable to serve.

During the same hearing the committee also received gubernatorial-appointee testimony from current commissioner Patrick Gallagher and commission chair Hawkins de France (see separate article). The committee did not vote on HB 1009 during the March 13 hearing; members set the bill aside to allow public testimony and expected to return for further consideration.

The bill's staff briefing and testimony also noted the commission’s statutory composition and the House floor vote tally; no fiscal figures were provided during the hearing.