2021 Legislative Session Summary
Washington state’s 105-day legislative session adjourned, on time, on Sunday, April 25, 2021. Occurring in odd-numbered years, the 105-day session is the first half of the biennium, during which legislators must pass the state’s biennial budget. Due to the pandemic, this session was conducted virtually, which significantly altered advocacy efforts. In an attempt to focus the workload of a virtual session, majority democrats instructed their members to introduce no more than 6 bills and advised that bills would be more likely to advance if they addressed COVID-19 challenges, improved racial equity, advanced economic recovery, addressed climate change, or increased revenue. While this was an admirable goal, there were still several pieces of legislation introduced this session that deviated from the aforementioned categories.
With the introduction of 811 bills and the passage of 337 bills, WSDA tracked several bills regarding dental-specific issues, health care, COVID-19 relief, taxes, small business issues, employer/employee matters, and more. The following is a summary of passed legislation that may impact you as a provider, business owner, employer, or employee.
Read WSDA's full legislative session summary here.
Issues Summarized
Health Care Legislation
- Dental Therapists
- Requiring Health Equity Continuing Education
- Establishment of Comprehensive Health Districts
- Creating the Universal Health Care Commission
- Reimbursement of Audio-only Telemedicine
- Establishing the School-based Health Center Program Office
- Provider PPE Reimbursement
Budget Highlights
- Medicaid Reimbursement Rate Increase
- Dental Therapy Task Force
- Access to Baby and Child Dentistry Program Funding
- Dentist Link
- University of Washington School of Dentistry Funding
Business & Employer/Employee-Related Legislation
- Providing Tax Relief from the B&O Tax, PUT, and Retail Sales Tax
- A Step Toward Unemployment Insurance Relief
- Additional Relief for Unemployment Insurance
- Adopting Considerations for Proof of Injury and Standard of Care During COVID-19
- Increasing Benefits for Health Care Workers During a Public Health Emergency
- Accommodating Voluntary Use of Personal Protective Equipment
- Alternate Requirements to Qualify for Paid Leave
- Expanding the Definition of Family Member for Paid Leave Coverage
- Enacting a Capital Gains Tax
- Modifying the Long-Term Services Trust
Stay Informed
Sign up for WSDA’s text message-based action alert system. Signing up will enable you to receive updates on your phone at the moment action is most necessary on critical dental issues. By clicking a link in a text message, you will be able to contact legislators about dental issues by email, phone, and various social media platforms.
To sign up, text “WSDA” to “52886”
Once you text “WSDA” to “52886,” you will be asked for your name, the zip code where you are registered to vote, and your email address. After answering those questions, you will be entered into the system and will receive a text message every time we need you to respond to an action alert.
