S-1054.1
SENATE BILL 5638
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2025 Regular Session
By Senators Saldaña, Hasegawa, and Valdez
Read first time 02/03/25. Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.
AN ACT Relating to funding health care access by imposing an excise tax on the annual compensation paid to certain highly compensated hospital employees; and adding a new chapter to Title 82 RCW.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. INTENT.(1) The legislature finds that Washington state has many competing and important public service needs, including meaningful access to a more robust and affordable health care system. With abundant wealth concentrated in specific sectors and among particular companies and individuals, there is a need to prioritize and direct financial resources to those most vulnerable in need of health care. Washingtonians depend on our nonprofit hospitals to care for our loved ones during their greatest times of need.
(2) The legislature further finds that some nonprofit hospitals find themselves with large revenues and inflated administrative salaries but fail to fulfill their fundamental responsibilities to the communities they are meant to serve. This neglect of their duties, including failure to offer essential reproductive health services, provide safe working conditions to frontline staff, and care for our most vulnerable populations, while simultaneously engaging in excessive compensation of top earners, erodes trust in the health care system.