Inslee signs bills to combat fentanyl and opioids and help Tribes in Washington state

A slate of bills related to opioid and fentanyl education, prevention and support were signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday at the Tulalip Resort north of Marysville.

One of the highest priorities for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle as well as the governor this year was figuring out how to rein in the fentanyl and opioid crisis, which has claimed the lives of thousands of Washingtonians.

Several other bills were also signed by the governor Tuesday that will benefit the state’s Tribes.

Teri Gobin, chair of the Tulalip Tribe, opened the event and said she appreciated the lawmakers who brought the bills being signed forward.

Gobin also honored the memory of late Sen. John McCoy, also known by his Lushootseed name lulilaš, who was born on the Tulalip Reservation and passed away in 2023. McCoy promoted bills on environmental protection, health care, and Native voting rights and education, she said.

During the legislative session in 2015, McCoy also co-sponsored a bill that required all schools in the state to teach Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington state as part of their curriculum. Inslee signed House Bill 1879 Tuesday to rename that curriculum after McCoy.

“We’re here today not only to honor Sen. John McCoy in the naming ‘Since Time Immemorial’ after this legendary man, but we’re here about a lot of other bills that are going to benefit the Tribes in Washington state and then will set examples for other Tribes throughout the country,” Gobin said.

Inslee spoke to those attending before signing the bills. He said fentanyl is a “scourge” in the state and that lawmakers need to scale up the response to match the challenge.

“We know that our response has to be more complex, more comprehensive,” said the governor. “We know there is no one solution to this problem. It’s not just treatment, it’s not just education, it’s not just law enforcement, it’s not just therapy — it is all of these things, and we can’t get hung up arguing which is more important, they are all important, and we want to do it all in the state of Washington.”

Inslee signed House Bill 1956, legislation that was requested by his office that requires the Department of Health to develop a statewide drug overdose awareness campaign. The bill further directs the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to make substance use prevention and awareness materials available for students. The bill goes into effect immediately.

The governor signed several other bills, many of them bipartisan.

Tribal bills

• House Bill 1228 – Directs OSPI to establish or expand dual language education programs and Tribal language education programs at schools and Tribal schools in the state.

• House Bill 2019 – Creates the Native American Apprentice Assistance Program, designed to address the disparities in employment and opportunities in Native communities.

• House Bill 2075 – Streamlines licensure for health care facilities by requiring the state DOH to issue a license to “Indian health care providers that attest to meeting the state’s minimum standards for licensure and pay a processing fee.”

• House Bill 2135 – Expands Washington’s Military Department’s Emergency Worker Program to include Tribal members. Inslee said the bill would expand Tribe’s capacity to respond to emergencies.

• House Bill 2335 – Exempts state Tribal compact schools from some basic educational requirements to tailor the curriculum to the needs of children in Tribal schools.

• Senate Bill 6146 – State law enforcement officers will be able to enforce warrants issued by Tribal police, even if the individual being issued a warrant is no longer on Tribal land. Washington is the first state in the nation to give Tribal officers this type of authority.

• Senate Bill 6186 – Fosters collaboration between state entities when responding to reports of missing persons. The bill does not allow disclosure of information that would compromise individuals who are trying to escape abusers.

• House Bill 1877 – Creates more recognition of Tribal governance as sovereign nations in the state’s behavioral health programs, and improves coordination of the behavioral health system to provide better support and access to treatment.

• Senate Bill 6099 – Creates the Tribal Opioid Prevention and Treatment Account for dedicated funding for resources in Tribal communities.

Substance use and health care bills

• House Bill 2112 – Requires all higher education institutions to keep opioid reversal medication as well as fentanyl test strips on campus. It also requires opioid and fentanyl prevention education and awareness at all higher ed institutions.

• Senate Bill 5481 – Provides greater access to telehealth services in the state.

• Senate Bill 5580 – Provides additional services and health care coverage for pregnant individuals to increase maternal health outcomes.

• Senate Bill 5804 – Requires at least one set of opioid reversal medication to be kept at schools across Washington state.

• Senate Bill 5821 – Allows audio-only telehealth medicine appointments to be available for patients in Washington.

• Senate Bill 5906 – Creates a statewide drug overdose prevention and education campaign by DOH.

• Senate Bill 5940 – Creates a pathway for emergency medical providers to obtain a medical assistant certification with their prior training in order to give medical providers more opportunity.

• Senate Bill 5986 – Prevents surprise bills for patients by guaranteeing reimbursement for ambulance providers and predictable payments for health insurers.