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Nurses, students and health advocates back bill to allow stock albuterol in schools

Washington State Senate Early Learning & K‑12 Education Committee · January 21, 2026

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Summary

Committee staff and witnesses described SB 59‑51, which would authorize schools to maintain a stock supply of albuterol accessed under a uniform OSPI/DOH procedure; nurses supported the bill but DOH requested an amendment to use its public process rather than a direct statutory standing order.

Committee staff summarized SB 59‑51 as a measure to expand access to albuterol in public and private schools by directing the Secretary of Health or a designee to issue a statewide standing order that allows schools to keep a stock supply of albuterol and permits school nurses or trained personnel to administer it when appropriate. Staff said OSPI and the Department of Health would create uniform procedures; fiscal note estimated minimal state fiscal impact and no district fiscal impact.

Sponsor Sen. Cortez called the bill a student safety measure and described personal experience with a daughter who needed albuterol. Students testified about forgetting inhalers and being forced to miss school; testimony cited Washington Department of Health figures on childhood asthma prevalence and a Washington State Nurses Association finding that only a minority of students have access to albuterol at school.

The Washington State Nurses Association and school nurses urged passage but the Department of Health asked the committee to amend the bill so that the department uses its normal public process to issue a standing order rather than a direct statutory delegation. Nurses emphasized protocols for monitoring students after administration and the importance of authorization and training for personnel.

Committee discussion acknowledged both the potential life‑saving benefits and the operational costs districts may face to stock and manage medicine at multiple schools.