CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
HOUSE BILL 1954
68TH LEGISLATURE
2024 REGULAR SESSION
Passed by the House January 25, 2024
  Yeas 56  Nays 37

Speaker of the House of Representatives
Passed by the Senate February 22, 2024
  Yeas 30  Nays 19

President of the Senate
CERTIFICATE
I, Bernard Dean, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is HOUSE BILL 1954 as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth.

Chief Clerk
Chief Clerk
Approved
FILED
Secretary of State
State of Washington

HOUSE BILL 1954

Passed Legislature - 2024 Regular Session
State of Washington
68th Legislature
2024 Regular Session
ByRepresentatives Riccelli, Bateman, Ramel, Reed, Simmons, Ormsby, Macri, Doglio, Thai, Lekanoff, and Reeves
Prefiled 12/15/23.Read first time 01/08/24.Referred to Committee on Health Care & Wellness.
AN ACT Relating to harmonizing statutory language relating to lawful participation in reproductive health care services or gender-affirming treatment; and amending RCW 18.130.450.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW 18.130.450 and 2023 c 192 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) Notwithstanding RCW 18.130.180, the following shall not constitute unprofessional conduct under this chapter:
(a) The provision of, authorization of, recommendation of, aiding in, assistance in, referral for, or other participation in any reproductive health care services or gender-affirming treatment consistent with the standard of care in Washington by a license holder;
(b) The provision of, authorization of, recommendation of, aiding in, assistance in, referral for, or other participation in any reproductive health care services or gender-affirming treatment, by a license holder, if the participation would have been lawful and consistent with standards of care if it occurred entirely in Washington;
(c) A conviction or disciplinary action based on the license holder's violation of another state's laws prohibiting the provision of, authorization of, recommendation of, aiding in, assistance in, referral for, or other participation in any reproductive health care services or gender-affirming treatment, if the participation would have been lawful and consistent with standards of care if it occurred entirely in Washington.
(2) Except as required by chapter 18.71B RCW, the following, alone or in combination, shall not serve as the basis for a denial of an application for licensure, licensure renewal, or temporary practice permit, or for any other disciplinary action by a disciplining authority against an applicant or license holder:
(a) The provision of, authorization of, recommendation of, aiding in, assistance in, referral for, or other participation in any reproductive health care services or gender-affirming treatment consistent with the standard of care in Washington by a license holder;
(b) The provision of, authorization of, recommendation of, aiding in, assistance in, referral for, or other participation in any reproductive health care services or gender-affirming treatment, by a license holder, if the participation would have been lawful and consistent with standards of care if it occurred entirely in Washington;
(((b)))(c) A conviction or disciplinary action based on the license holder's violation of another state's laws prohibiting the provision of, authorization of, recommendation of, aiding in, assistance in, referral for, or other participation in any reproductive health care services or gender-affirming treatment, if the participation would have been lawful and consistent with standards of care if it occurred entirely in Washington.
(3) Nothing in this section prohibits the disciplining authority from taking action on separate charges that are unrelated to the provision of, authorization of, recommendation of, aiding in, assistance in, referral for, or other participation in any reproductive health care services or gender-affirming treatment that would have been lawful and consistent with standards of care if it occurred entirely in Washington.
(4) Nothing in this section shall be construed to expand the scope of practice of any license holder licensed under this title, nor does this section give any such license holder the authority to act outside their scope of practice as defined under this title.
(5) For the purposes of this section the following definitions apply:
(a) "Gender-affirming treatment" means a service or product that a health care provider, as defined in RCW 70.02.010, provides to an individual to support and affirm the individual's gender identity. "Gender-affirming treatment" includes, but is not limited to, treatment for gender dysphoria. "Gender-affirming treatment" can be provided to two spirit, transgender, nonbinary, and other gender diverse individuals.
(b) "Reproductive health care services" means any medical services or treatments, including pharmaceutical and preventive care services or treatments, directly involved in the reproductive system and its processes, functions, and organs involved in reproduction.
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