Committee advances several health bills in executive session; motions send measures to Rules and Ways & Means

Olympia — After public hearings Feb. 13, the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee moved into executive session and took formal committee actions on a group of health bills. Committee members adopted proposed substitutes and issued “due pass” recommendations sending bills to the next assigned committees. The committee recorded each measure as “passed subject to signatures” in the executive‑session record.

Summary of committee actions recorded in executive session (Feb. 13):

- Senate Bill 5,075 (cost sharing for prenatal and postnatal care). Committee adopted proposed substitute S‑1389.1 and moved that it “receive a due pass recommendation and be sent to the Ways and Means Committee.” The committee recorded the bill as passed subject to signatures.

- Senate Bill 5,200 (veterans medical foster homes). Committee adopted proposed substitute S‑1437.1 and moved it receive a due pass recommendation to the Rules Committee; the bill was recorded as passed subject to signatures.

- Senate Bill 5,326 (Accessing an Emergency Supply of Insulin). The committee moved that the bill receive a due pass recommendation to the Ways and Means Committee and recorded the bill as passed subject to signatures.

- Senate Bill 5,337 (memory care certification). Committee adopted proposed substitute S‑1397.3 and moved a due pass recommendation to the Ways and Means Committee; the bill was recorded as passed subject to signatures.

- Senate Bill 5,568 (updating the Washington State Health Plan). Committee adopted proposed substitute S‑1412.1 and moved a due pass recommendation to the Rules Committee; the bill was recorded as passed subject to signatures.

- Senate Bill 5,577 (Medicaid coverage for HIV antiviral drugs). The committee moved that the bill receive a due pass recommendation to the Rules Committee and recorded the bill as passed subject to signatures.

- Senate Joint Memorial 8,002 (relating to Medicare). Committee moved a due pass recommendation to the Rules Committee and recorded the joint memorial as passed subject to signatures.

Committee practice during the session was to adopt the proposed substitute and then move a due‑pass recommendation to the committee that handles fiscal or rules review. A single speaker (recorded as the vice chair or vice chair designee in the transcript) made the motions; roll‑call tallies were not recorded in the verbal meeting minutes (the committee used voice aye/nay votes). The executive session concluded with the committee returning to open session and opening the final public hearing of the day.

The text of each adopted substitute and any technical amendments submitted by agencies (for example, Department of Health technical edits referenced in staff briefings) remain in the committee file. Committee staff briefings in executive session described key policy changes for several bills: the prenatal/postnatal package sets phased effective dates for cost‑sharing prohibitions; the veterans medical foster home substitute aligns training, certification and protective‑services definitions with long‑term‑care requirements; and the state health plan substitute increases data access and adds public comment requirements for OFM reports.