WA Legislature passes bill eliminating medical debt from consumer credit reports

Bills on school inclusivity, AI and rent fixing among casualties in WA Legislature • Washington State Standard

The Washington state Capitol on March 27, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)Tuesday’s latest deadline in the Washington Legislature provided the last rites for numerous proposals tackling everything from penalties for environmental crimes to union bargaining over artificial intelligence. But with just a few weeks left in the legislative session, just about all of the big-ticket items lawmakers are considering rem…

WA Legislature passes bill eliminating medical debt from consumer credit reports

(The Center Square) – The Washington State Legislature passed a bill on Wednesday that could offer significant relief to people drowning in medical debt, but critics warn it may drive

Infectious diseases bill touted as best available science passes WA Legislature - Everett Post

(The Center Square) – The Washington State Senate on Thursday passed a controversial bill on vaccines and other public health requirements during communicable disease outbreaks. Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1531, which aims to ensure public health responses to communicable diseases are guided by “the best available science,” passed the House of Representatives on March 8. Rep. Dan Bronoske, D-Lakewood, is the bill’s prime sponsor. He told The…

It’s rough to be a WA renter. A bill that could help is close to passing. – RANGE Media

Tina Hammond speaks at the podium in front of renters and City Council Member Paul Dillon. Photo and treatment by Erin Sellers. Twenty years ago, Tina Hammond’s future looked bright. She’d just graduated from Gonzaga University with a masters degree. She owned a home in Spokane, and her finances seemed in order.  “My life was really good,” Hammond said. Then the 2008 recession hit. She couldn’t find work in her field and took a minimum wage job.…

Washington State Proposes Companion Bills to Increase Scrutiny of Health Care Transactions

On February 7, 2025, legislators introduced Washington State House Bill 1881 and its companion bill, Senate Bill 5704 (collectively, the “Bills”), to enhance oversight and regulation of material changes within the state’s health care marketplace. The Bills’ primary stated objectives are to ensure that health care transactions do not adversely affect the accessibility, affordability and quality of health care services for Washington residents. Ba…