Gov. Inslee signs new legislation including $35 insulin caps into Washington law
In a major victory for diabetic patients in the state, Gov. Jay Inslee Friday signed new legislation to cap out-of-pocket expenses for insulin at $35 for a one-month supply.
The legislature has directed health care plans to limit the cost for enrollees starting Jan. 1, 2023. A similar law was passed in 2020 during the legislative session that capped out-of-pocket costs for enrollees at $100.
Both measures were sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines. The latest price cap legislation passed the Senate 48-1 and passed the House 85-10.
With less than a week to go before the end of the 2022 Washington state legislative session, the governor signed several other new bills into law in Olympia on Friday as well:
▪ Substitute Senate Bill 5564 – This law is aimed at protecting the confidentiality of employees who use employee assistance programs, and prevents workplaces from taking action against an employee who either chooses to participate or chooses not to participate in employee assistance programs.
The bill was also sponsored by Keiser. The bill passed the Senate with a 45-4 vote and passed the House with a 93-2 vote.
▪ House Bill 1798 – Under this new law, the Legislative Committee on Economic Development and International Relations is no longer required to review state taglines or slogans if recommended by the Washington Tourism Marketing Authority.
The bill was sponsored by Rep. Cindy Ryu, D-Shoreline, at the request of the Lieutenant Governor’s office and passed both chambers of the legislature unanimously.
▪ Substitute House Bill 1286 – Adopts the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact and would expand mental telehealth services by allowing licensed providers in other compact states to work with patients in Washington. Patients could also continue care with providers if they move to another compact state through telehealth services.
The measure was voted in unanimously by both chambers and is sponsored by Rep. Kelly Chambers, R-Puyallup.
▪ House Bill 1899 – Protects confidential information shared by other states and federal regulators to the Washington Department of Financial Institutions from being disclosed under the Public Records Act.
The new law was sponsored by Rep. Steve Kirby, D-Tacoma, at the request of the Department of Financial Institutions. The measure nearly passed the legislature unanimously but had one no-vote in the House.
▪ Substitute House Bill 1878 – Expands the Community Eligibility Provision, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, that provides free meals for students. The new law increases the number of schools that are able to participate in the provision. If at least 40 percent of students in a school are considered low-income, all students in those schools will receive free lunch.
Rep. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, was the bill’s prime sponsor. The bill passed the House with a 93-3 vote, and passed the Senate with a 45-4 vote.
▪ Substitute Senate Bill 5252 – Directs the Office of Native Education, Washington State Native Education Advisory Committee, and Washington State School Directors’ Association Government-to-Government Task Force to work with the Tribal Leaders Congress on Education “to develop a tribal consultation training and schedule.”
The new law was sponsored by Sen. Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island, and passed the Senate unanimously. It passed in the House 94-1.
The legislative session ends Thursday.
This story was originally published March 4, 2022 at 3:29 PM.
