This Week at the AZ Legislature...

Hello Arizona Nurses!

Our AzNA policy team had another busy week at the legislature with exciting hearings and lots of behind the scenes work to improve bills in process. Thanks to Christine Creen, Nichole Kuhns, Pat VanMaanen, Clay Mering, Dawna Cato, Leighanna Lawson, Jane Nakazato, Denise Link, Amber Porter, Selina Bliss, Georgina Rotzler, Hannah Challa, Sara Hererra, Jason Warren, Patricia Timmons, Jackie Martin, Rosemary Bolza, Rebecca Stoops, and Erin Luedtke for reviewing bills in the past week.

If you’re interested in getting involved, please email Dawna Cato at dawna@aznurse.org.

Recapping Week 5:

• AzNA signed in on several bills including:
  • SB1052, which would disallow any government entity or business in Arizona from requiring any medical procedure including vaccines that have a potential implication that could cause death. AzNA is opposed to this bill, as it would essentially outlaw the ability to mandate any medical procedure as every procedure has the potential to cause bad outcomes that could lead to death. This bill would effectively disallow any school to require vaccinations and would pose a direct threat to public health and safety. This bill was not heard on 2/9 and is currently not scheduled for another committee hearing.

• SB1514 passed the Senate Health and Human Services committee. This bill would mandate that a patient can have two visitors of their choice with them at all times in a healthcare facility, excluding surgical theatres. AzNA remains opposed to this bill, as it may impede providers’ ability to provide safe and effective care in some situations, including in cases of suspected abuse, infectious disease emergency, or critical trauma.

• SB1639, which would require medical records integration for better tracking of controlled substances prescriptions. AzNA is supporting this bill, as it will improve safe access to care by providing an enhanced safeguard against abuse or unintentional overprescribing of controlled substances. This bill passed out of Senate Health and Human Services, and is awaiting a hearing in Senate Rules committee.

• One of AzNA’s flagship bills for this session, HB2434, continued its march forward, passing unanimously out of the House Health & Human Services committee last week on 1/31. This bill would require smoke evacuation systems or devices to be used in all operating rooms to decrease the risk of exposure to staff. Kudos to Dan Wade, RN for providing compelling testimony to improve the safety of OR nurses and all OR workers.

Get ready for a BIG Week 6:

• On Monday 2/14, one of AzNA’s flagship bills, HB2635, will be heard in the House Health and Human Services committee, and its mirror bill, SB1311, will be heard in the Senate Health and Human Services committee on Wednesday 2/16. These bills address assaults to healthcare workers by proposing a multi-pronged approach to assault prevention. AzNA has been working hard to advance legislation to deal with workplace assault since 2020. We are optimistic that the strong support that we’ve built at the legislature over the past years will help us to get these bills through their respective chambers and signed into law to make healthcare workplaces safer for nurses and all of our colleagues. Your AzNA legislative team will be testifying in support of these bills. You can help by using the RTS system to sign in your support on both HB2635 and SB1311. (See the info and link for RTS below.)

• On Wednesday 2/16, another one of AzNA’s flagship bills, HB2691, will be heard in the House Appropriations Committee. This bill proposes a multi-pronged approach to bolster and increase the nursing workforce by dedicating funds to support training, preceptorships, and transition-to-practice programs. Your AzNA legislative team, along with a broad coalition of partners, has been hard at work on this bill for several months. AzNA will be testifying in support of this bill. As with the healthcare worker assault bills, you can help by using the RTS system to sign in your support on HB2691.

• In addition to RTS, this week you can make your voice heard in real life this week by joining AzNA for Healthcare Day at the Capitol on Wednesday 2/16. If you haven’t already registered, you can do so here.

• AzNA is watching several other bills that have hearings this week – the last week for bills to be heard in their originating committee. Any bills that aren’t heard in their primary committee this week are considered “dead” so the committee agendas are extra full.
  • HB2100: AzNA is supporting. This bill will make permanent some emergency pandemic provisions to allow public health data sharing using the state’s health information exchange.

• HB2490: AzNA is supporting. This bill would update the language around collaborative practice agreements for pharmacists, allowing pharmacists to practice to a fuller extent of their training and education, and improving access to quality care for patients, in line with AzNA’s public policy priorities.

• SB1210: AzNA is supporting. This bill would remove the requirement that a police officer carry out mental health transports between hospitals and other healthcare settings, allowing people experiencing mental healthcare needs to have better access to appropriate therapeutic encounters with specialized mental health transport professionals.

• SB1234: AzNA is supporting. This bill provides for the continued operation of the Arizona State Board of Nursing.

• SB1640: AzNA is supporting. This bill clarifies that certified nursing assistants must be at least 16 years old. This bill has the potential to open high-school based CNA programs to build the certified nursing assistant workforce, enhancing patient access to care.

• SB1654: AzNA is supporting. This bill establishes that parents or guardians of a student with a seizure disorder may submit a seizure management plan for school personnel to use in the event that the student experiences a seizure at school. The bill specifies that a school nurse must review the seizure plan and is not liable for civil penalties from good faith implementation of the plan. The bill also requires school nurses to complete an online course regarding managing students with seizure disorders, and that non-nurse school district employees who interact regularly with students shall complete an online course about seizure awareness, particularly for students with seizure disorders. This bill supports AzNA’s public policy priority related to safe and competent nursing care.

What can you do this week to support AzNA’s public policy agenda?

It’s not too late to join AzNA for Healthcare Day at the Capitol THIS WEEK on 2/16. More information and the registration link are here.

Don’t forget to practice armchair advocacy with just a few clicks of your mouse by using the Arizona Legislature’s RTS system. (Remember that although RTS stands for “Request to Speak” it doesn’t actually involve speaking!) We encourage you to sign in this weekend and register your support or opposition of the bills that will be heard on 2/9.

Helpful Resources

• AzNA’s public policy agenda
• RTS manual
  • Note that you must activate your RTS account at a designated kiosk in the state capitol (or in downtown Tucson at 400 W. Congress St.) before you use it the first time. If you need help with that, please email dawna@aznurse.org and we can assist

I hope to see you out at the Capitol or signed in to support AzNA’s priority bills this week. We need YOU to help us move toward a healthier and safer Arizona for nurses, healthcare workers, and all Arizonans.

Heather Ross, DNP, PhD

AzNA Government Affairs Officer