Establishing the essential worker health care program.

 S-1362.2

SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5344

State of Washington

69th Legislature

2025 Regular Session

By Senate Health & Long-Term Care (originally sponsored by Senators Riccelli, Harris, Lovick, Cleveland, Lovelett, Liias, Saldaña, Frame, Hasegawa, Nobles, Trudeau, Valdez, and C. Wilson)

READ FIRST TIME 02/12/25.

AN ACT Relating to establishing the essential worker health care program; adding new sections to chapter 43.20A RCW; adding new sections to chapter 48.02 RCW; creating a new section; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds:

(a) That there is a workforce crisis in Washington's nursing homes where the majority of workers are older women and disproportionately women of color and immigrants. Overwhelmingly nursing home workers live at or near poverty levels;