Nurses in Washington state are one step closer to getting mandatory rest and meal breaks.
House Bill 1155 passed the Senate and the House of Representatives Wednesday, without the debated amendments that would've exempt workers at rural hospitals and put an 8-hour cap on shifts.
“Anything we can do to make sure patients are safe no matter where they're at, whether they're at Davenport or Seattle, whether they're in Spokane or Odessa, that they get the same care,” said Rep. Marcus Riccelli, (D) Spokane, who sponsored the legislation.
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The bill has been discussed for years, but gained national momentum last week when Walla Walla Sen. Maureen Walsh commented on nurses playing cards on the job.
"Those nurses probably do get breaks. They probably play cards for a considerable amount of the day,” said Walsh during a debate on the Senate floor April 16.
Walsh has received 10,000 emails and more than 35,000 phone calls about the comment. She said 1,700 decks of playing cards have been sent to her office.
Monday, she KIRO 7 she apologized for what she said.
"I'm sorry I said what I said. However, what happened was it was a comment that was taken out of context,” said Walsh.
Walsh, and other opponents, argue the legislation will dramatically increase staffing costs and may potentially drive low-traffic smaller hospitals out of business. She believes her comments were used by advocates to drum up support.
"I respect Senator Walsh greatly, but in her apology statement she talked about being tired and I would say there's no better marker for why this bill should pass, we don't want legislators or nurses fatigued on the job. We want them at peak performance,” said Riccelli.
The bill now heads to Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk to be signed.