Improving access and practices relating to portable orders for life-sustaining treatment.
This bill creates a standardized "portable orders for life-sustaining treatment" form that Washington residents can use to document their end-of-life care preferences, allowing the form to be recognized across all healthcare settings in the state. It establishes a statewide registry for these forms, requires healthcare providers to review them annually with patients, and provides legal immunity for providers who follow the documented preferences in good faith. The law directly affects residents making advance care decisions and healthcare providers (including doctors, nurses, EMTs, and hospitals) who must follow these orders. Key provisions include an opt-out option for registry submission, rules for verbal confirmation of forms, and protections against liability for providers acting in accordance with the documented preferences.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 12, 2026
Last action Jan 12, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Bill
→
Substitute Bill
·
4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to reflect its progression from a House Bill to a Substitute Bill, incorporating feedback from the Early Learning & Human Services Committee. Key substantive changes include updating the title to reflect committee sponsorship, adjusting the reading date, and modifying liability protections to explicitly exclude situations where other laws provide greater protection. The text also updated terminology to align with current standards, such as changing 'advanced practice registered nurses' to 'advanced registered nurse practitioners' and clarifying that providers are not obligated to check the registry if other laws already offer immunity.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on portable orders for life-sustaining treatment, but the applicability of liability protections was refined to prevent double-dipping of legal immunities.
ELIGIBILITY
Updated the definition of eligible medical professionals to use the current term 'advanced registered nurse practitioner' instead of 'advanced practice registered nurse'.
REQUIREMENT
Added a new clause to liability protections stating that immunity applies 'Except where greater liability protection is provided in law', ensuring providers cannot claim immunity if another statute already covers them.
TECHNICAL
Corrected the bill's header to show it was read on 02/17/25 and referred to the Early Learning & Human Services Committee, reflecting committee amendments.
Formatted the text to include page numbers and line numbers typical of legislative substitute bills, replacing the original single-column format.
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
6
Key actions
2
Committee
3
Jan 12, 2026
Introduced
By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
lower
Feb 17, 2025
Committee
Referred to Appropriations.
lower
Feb 14, 2025
Lower · Passed
Executive action taken in the House Committee on Early Learning & Human Services at 8:00 AM.
lower
Feb 7, 2025
Lower · Passed
Public hearing in the House Committee on Early Learning & Human Services at 8:00 AM.
lower
1 primary · 8 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about HB 1724
Scope: WA
Hi! I can help you understand HB 1724. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline