Notice of Committee Passage for Senate Bill 5337 - 10 Year Analysis Complete

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SB 5337, titled AN ACT Relating to improving dementia care in Washington by creating a certification for memory care services, has been passed by the Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care. The Office of Financial Management has identified this bill as requiring a ten-year projection of increased cost to the taxpayers or affected fee payers.

Ten-year projection:

Fiscal Year		Memory Care Certification Annual Fee, Inspections & Complaints	Memory Care Certification Initial Application Fee	Total
2026		$176,000	$86,000	$262,000
2027		$176,000	$0	$176,000
2028		$176,000	$0	$176,000
2029		$176,000	$0	$176,000
2030		$176,000	$0	$176,000
2031		$176,000	$0	$176,000
2032		$176,000	$0	$176,000
2033		$176,000	$0	$176,000
2034		$176,000	$0	$176,000
2035		$176,000	$0	$176,000
Total:		$1,760,000	$86,000	$1,846,000

Dept of Social and Health Services:

Section 2 of this bill requires assisted living facilities that use the term memory care in their advertising to obtain a certification from the department and pay any fee as determined by rule to demonstrate they meet the certification requirements. This estimate assumes 260 facilities apply for certification in FY26 based on current memory care facilities and units. It is unknown how many facilities may apply in subsequent years, so cash receipts for the initial application fee are indeterminate for FY27 and beyond. Cash receipts will vary based on actual memory care certification applications.

The proposed certification fees will offset staff investigation time. For the initial application fee, the department assumes it will take six hours of staff time to process. With a Program Specialist 3 at an hourly rate of $55.21, the initial application fee would be $331. With an estimated 260 facilities applying for memory care certification, this would result in $86,000 in cash receipts in FY26.

For the annual certification fee, the department assumes it will take seven hours of work for inspection and complaints tasks. This work will be completed by Long-Term Care Surveyor and Nursing Consultant Institutional staff, who have a blended hourly rate of $96.61. This results in an annual fee of $676. Based on an estimated 260 facilities paying the $676 annual fee, the cash receipts per year would be $176,000.

Ten-year projection prepared in consultation with the following agencies:

Dept of Social and Health Services

The following legislators voted do pass:

Senator Tina Orwall
Democrat
(360) 786-7664
tina.orwall@leg.wa.gov

Senator Marcus Riccelli
Democrat
(360) 786-7604
marcus.riccelli@leg.wa.gov

Senator Paul Harris
Republican
(360) 786-7632
paul.harris@leg.wa.gov

Senator Jessica Bateman
Democrat
(360) 786-7642
jessica.bateman@leg.wa.gov

Senator Jeff Holy
Republican
(360) 786-7610
jeff.holy@leg.wa.gov

Senator Annette Cleveland
Democrat
(360) 786-7696
annette.cleveland@leg.wa.gov

Senator June Robinson
Democrat
(360) 786-7674
june.robinson@leg.wa.gov

Senator Leonard Christian
Republican
(360) 786-7606
leonard.christian@leg.wa.gov

Senator Mike Chapman
Democrat
(360) 786-7646
mike.chapman@leg.wa.gov

Senator Vandana Slatter
Democrat
(360) 786-7694
vandana.slatter@leg.wa.gov

Senator Ron Muzzall
Republican
(360) 786-7618
ron.muzzall@leg.wa.gov



Legislative Bill Information Website: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/

Initiative 960 Website: http://www.ofm.wa.gov/tax/default.asp