Title: An act relating to determination of disability for special parking privileges by advanced registered nurse practitioners.

Brief Description: Providing for determination of disability for special parking privileges by advanced registered nurse practitioners.

Sponsors: By House Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Representatives Clibborn, Ericksen, Murray, Cooper, Morrell, Simpson, Armstrong, Rockefeller, Jarrett, Schindler, Mielke, Anderson, Wallace, Nixon, Shabro and Schual-Berke).

Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

• Allows advanced registered nurse practitioners to make determinations about whether an individual qualifies for special parking privileges.

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 26 members: Representatives Murray, Chair; Rockefeller, Vice Chair; Simpson, Vice Chair; Jarrett, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Anderson, Armstrong, Bailey, Clibborn, Cooper, Dickerson, Flannigan, Hankins, Hatfield, Hudgins, Kristiansen, Lovick, Mielke, Morris, Nixon, Romero, Schindler, Shabro, Sullivan, Wallace, Wood and Woods.

In Washington special parking privileges are extended to any person with a disability that limits his or her ability to walk and meets other statutorily established criteria as determined by a licensed physician.

Currently the Department of Licensing rules allow chiropractors, naturopaths, physicians, podiatrists, and advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs) to determine those persons who qualify for special parking permits.

HB 1655 clarifies that advanced registered nurse practitioners may make determinations about whether an individual meets the statutory criteria to qualify for special parking privileges.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: The administrative rules currently allow advanced registered nurses to make determinations about whether an individual qualifies for special parking privileges by including ARNPs in the definition of "licensed physician." This bill provides a more straightforward approach to allow both physicians and ARNPs to perform this function by clarifying the language in the statute.

(With concerns) The statute provides that licensed physicians must make the determination of whether an individual qualifies for special parking privileges, and many people would not define "licensed physicians" to include chiropractors, naturopaths, and others that are included in the WAC. It might be useful to list in the statute all the other practitioners who may now make these determinations as provided in the WAC rather than adding only ARNPs, and add others, such as physicians’ assistants..

Testified: Representative Clibborn, prime sponsor; and Jerry Farley, Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners.