---
type: "Bill"
title: "Protecting consumers from out-of-network health care services charges."
description: "Protecting consumers from out-of-network health care services charges."
jurisdiction: "us/states/wa"
legislature: "Washington Legislature"
session: "2023-2024"
identifier: "SB 5986"
citation: "Washington SB 5986 (2023-2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Cleveland"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 41
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2024-01-04"
last_action: "2024-03-19"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d4c01aa7-3585-4152-9a98-76899acb801e"
source_url: "http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5986&year=2023"
source_hash: "1875be2ecabdd625545cfa16347457060cbb13d475bf6734ed442651201a5a6e"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-wa"]
---

# Washington SB 5986 (2023-2024) — Protecting consumers from out-of-network health care services charges.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5986.htm)
2. **Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5986-S.htm)
3. **Substitute Passed Legislature** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Passed%20Legislature/5986-S.PL.htm)

## Votes

- Final Passage as Amended by the House (#39) — **49–0** (pass) · upper
- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#16) — **48–0** (pass) · upper
- Final Passage as Amended by the House (#1) — **95–1** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Cleveland — primary (person)
- Hasegawa — cosponsor (person)
- Kuderer — cosponsor (person)
- Mullet — cosponsor (person)
- Muzzall — cosponsor (person)
- Nobles — cosponsor (person)
- Randall — cosponsor (person)
- Salomon — cosponsor (person)
- Valdez — cosponsor (person)
- Wellman — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2024-01-04** Prefiled for introduction. `filing`
- **2024-01-08** First reading, referred to Health & Long Term Care. `reading-1`
- **2024-01-12** Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Health & Long Term Care at 8:00 AM.
- **2024-01-16** Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Health & Long Term Care at 8:00 AM.
- **2024-01-16** HLTC - Majority; do pass. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-01-16** And refer to Ways & Means. `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-17** Referred to Ways & Means. `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-29** Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 4:00 PM.
- **2024-02-05** Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 10:00 AM.
- **2024-02-05** WM - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `substitution`
- **2024-02-05** Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
- **2024-02-06** Placed on second reading by Rules Committee. `reading-2`
- **2024-02-08** 1st substitute bill substituted (WM 24). `substitution`
- **2024-02-08** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2024-02-08** Third reading, passed; yeas, 48; nays, 0; absent, 0; excused, 1. `reading-3`
- **2024-02-10** First reading, referred to Health Care & Wellness. `reading-1`
- **2024-02-14** Public hearing in the House Committee on Health Care & Wellness at 1:30 PM.
- **2024-02-16** Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the House Committee on Health Care & Wellness at 8:00 AM.
- **2024-02-20** Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the House Committee on Health Care & Wellness at 1:30 PM.
- **2024-02-21** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Health Care & Wellness at 1:30 PM.
- **2024-02-21** HCW - Majority; do pass with amendment(s). `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-02-21** Minority; do not pass. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2024-02-21** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2024-02-21** Referred to Appropriations. `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-23** Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 1:30 PM.
- **2024-02-26** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations at 10:30 AM.
- **2024-02-26** APP - Majority; do pass with amendment(s) by Health Care & Wellness. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-02-26** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2024-02-26** Referred to Rules 2 Review. `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-27** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading. `reading-2`
- **2024-02-28** Committee amendment(s) adopted with no other amendments.
- **2024-02-28** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2024-02-28** Third reading, passed; yeas, 95; nays, 1; absent, 0; excused, 2. `reading-3`
- **2024-03-04** Senate concurred in House amendments.
- **2024-03-04** Passed final passage; yeas, 49; nays, 0; absent, 0; excused, 0. `passage`
- **2024-03-06** President signed. `passage`
- **2024-03-07** Speaker signed. `passage`
- **2024-03-08** Delivered to Governor. `executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-19** Governor signed. `executive-signature`
- **2024-03-19** Chapter 218, 2024 Laws. `became-law`
- **2024-03-19** Effective date 6/6/2024. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d4c01aa7-3585-4152-9a98-76899acb801e`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Washington legislature records).