HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 SHB 1503

                       As Passed House

                       March 11,  1997

Title:  An act relating to making technical corrections to statutes administered by the department of health.

Brief Description:  Making technical corrections to statutes administered by the department of health.

Sponsors:  By House Committee on Health Care (originally sponsored by  Representatives Backlund, Cody, Anderson and Mason).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Health Care:  2/11/97, 3/4/97 [DPS].

Floor Activity:

Passed House:  3/11/97, 97‑0.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH CARE

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 11 members:  Representatives Dyer, Chairman; Backlund, Vice Chairman; Skinner, Vice Chairman; Cody, Ranking Minority Member; Murray, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Anderson; Conway; Parlette; Sherstad; Wood and Zellinsky.

Staff:  John Welsh (786-7133).

Background:  Occasionally the Legislature amends the same section of a statute in two different bills during a legislative session.  When this occurs, the code reviser attempts to combine the two sets of amendments into a single section.  Sometimes the code reviser is unable to combine the amendments and the two different versions of the same section are placed side by side in the code.  This makes the law difficult to understand and causes confusion for people who must follow it.

In 1995, through passage of two separate bills, a section of law granting protection of emergency medical service providers from liability was amended differently.  In 1996, similar double amendments were made to several sections of law pertaining to regulation of speech language pathologists, audiologists and hearing instrument fitter/dispensers. 

In addition, in 1994 when legislation was enacted combining licensing and discipline of nursing assistants, nurses, and licensed practical nurses under a single Nursing Quality Assurance Commission, an incorrect reference to the law regulating nursing assistants was made in the Uniform Disciplinary Act.

The 1997 reporting and completion date for a study to be done by the University of Washington needs to be deferred until 1998 due to the delayed implementation of the Nurse Delegation Law.

A nurse may not refuse to delegate nursing tasks to a nursing assistant except for patients= safety issues.  However, nursing assistants may refuse to perform these delegated nursing tasks for any reason.

Summary of Bill:  Technical changes are made to professional credentialing programs administered by the Department of Health.

Double amendments enacted in 1995 are combined into one section in the law providing immunity from liability for emergency medical service personnel.

Double amendments enacted in 1996 are combined in three sections of law dealing with speech language pathologists, audiologists and hearing instrument fitters/dispensers.  The duration of a permit is changed from two years to one year.

A reference in the law regulating nurses and nursing assistants is corrected.

The reporting date for completion of a study on the impacts of nurse delegation done by the University of Washington is moved from 1997 to 1998.

A nursing assistant may not refuse to perform delegated nursing tasks except for patients= safety issues, conforming to similar language relating to registered nurses.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  Technical corrections to the law are necessary for the implementation of several professional programs administered by the Department of Health.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Ron Weaver, Department of Health (pro).