HB 1155: Indivisibles say CONCUR with the Senate version — or move the effective date earlier
Email sent to the Washington State House of Representatives, April 16, 2023. An earlier version, virtually identical but with a few potentially-ambiguous words, was sent on April 13.
Dear members of the Washington State House of Representatives,
The Washington legislature stands on the verge of passing long-overdue protections for consumer health data not already covered by HIPAA. We greatly appreciate the work bill sponsors Rep. Slatter and Sen. Dhingra, the Attorney General’s Office, the Law & Justice committee, and all its other supporters have done on HB 1155 (My Health My Data) on its path through the legislature. Now, let’s finish the job!
The Senate version of ESHB 1155 (My Health My Data) before you includes key improvements over the House version, and we urge you to vote to CONCUR — and to encourage your colleagues to do so as well.
If the House doesn’t concur and the bill goes to negotiations, please push to move the effective date earlier. Idaho’s abortion ban is already in place, their new law criminalizing harboring or transporting minors getting health care is effective in May, and their ban on gender affirming care for minors comes into effect in January 2024.
And please do not accept any weakening of the Senate version. As we said in our February 20 letter to you:
Industry knows how important it is for My Health My Data to pass. They’re trying to take advantage of the situation by pressuring you to pass a bill that favors their interests rather than ours. Please resist the pressure to accept a bill that lets them continue to exploit and endanger us, but leaves the people the bill is supposed to protect at risk.
ESHB 1155 has already been amended significantly in response to industry concerns and there is no excuse for weakening it further.
Signed,
Indivisible Bainbridge Island
Indivisible Bellingham
Indivisible Greater Vancouver
Indivisible Eastside
Indivisible Plus Washington
Indivisible Skagit
Indivisible Tacoma
Indivisible Vashon
Indivisible Washington’s 8th District
Indivisible Whidbey
Lower Columbia Indivisible
North Kitsap Indivisible
Olympia Indivisible
Seattle Indivisible
Snohomish County Indivisible
Washington Indivisible Podcast
Wallingford Indivisible
