FINAL BILL REPORT

                  SSB 5590

                           C 63 L 00

                      Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Expanding the health professionals who may request administration of oral medication at school.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Health & Long‑Term Care (originally sponsored by Senators Thibaudeau, Deccio, Wojahn and Winsley; by request of Superintendent of Public Instruction).

Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care

House Committee on Health Care

Background:  Public and private schools provide oral medications to students during the school day according to requirements set forth in federal and state law.

Schools administer oral medications to students upon the acquisition of such a request from parents, accompanied by instructions, with proper identification of the medication to be administered and a means for safekeeping the medication.

Under current state law, schools can only honor requests for oral medications if they come from a licensed physician or dentist.

There is an increasing number of school age children who receive prescriptions from physicians assistants and advanced registered nurse practitioners.  Current law does not allow for prescriptions written by these practitioners to be accepted in schools for the purposes of administering oral medications to students.

Summary:  Public and private schools may administer oral medications to students if the request for medication comes from any licensed health professional prescribing within the scope of their prescribing authority.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate 440

House980

Effective:June 8, 2000