SB 5118 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Updating the requirements for the clinical experience license for international medical graduates.

SB 5118 updates Washington's licensing rules to create a specific pathway for international medical graduates (IMGs) seeking clinical experience. The bill establishes a time-limited "clinical experience license" allowing IMGs who don’t yet qualify for full licensure to work under supervision at approved healthcare facilities, meeting requirements like English proficiency and passing specific exams. This directly affects IMGs aiming to complete required clinical training before obtaining full medical licensure in Washington. The license permits practice only within approved training programs and terminates after one year unless renewed, requiring continuous progress toward full licensure. The bill became law on April 4, 2025, and takes effect July 27, 2025.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2024
Committee Review
Mar 2025
Senate Passage
Mar 2025
House Passage
Mar 2025
Signed into Law
Apr 2025
Introduced Dec 27, 2024 Signed Apr 4, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Substitute Bill Substitute Passed Legislature · 2 edits
MINOR
The primary change is the addition of a formal certification page confirming that the bill has been passed by both the Senate and House of Representatives, along with the official signatures of the Secretary of the Senate and Speaker of the House. This transforms the document from a draft version into the final enrolled bill ready for the Governor's signature. No substantive policy, funding, or legal requirements within the actual text of the bill were altered; the changes are strictly administrative and procedural.
TECHNICAL

Added a 'Certification of Enrollment' section containing legislative history, vote counts, and official signatures to finalize the bill's status.

Removed the original bill number 'S-1481.2' from the top of the page, as it is superseded by the final enrolled status.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 26, 2025 · House Mar 26, 2025

How they voted

490
Passed · 2 other
Total votes 51
Feb 26, 2025
D Democratic31
30 Yea 1
96% Yea
R Republican20
19 Yea 1
95% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
28
Key actions
12
Committee
8
Apr 4, 2025
Signed into law
Governor signed.
executive
Mar 31, 2025
Lower · Passed
Speaker signed.
lower
Mar 28, 2025
Upper · Passed
President signed.
upper
Mar 26, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (100-0)
house
Mar 21, 2025
Committee
Referred to Rules 2 Review.
lower
Mar 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
Minority; without recommendation.
lower
Mar 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
HCW - Majority; do pass.
lower
Mar 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
Executive action taken in the House Committee on Health Care & Wellness at 1:30 PM.
lower
Mar 14, 2025
Lower · Passed
Public hearing in the House Committee on Health Care & Wellness at 8:00 AM.
lower
Feb 26, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (49-0-2)
senate
Feb 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care at 8:00 AM.
upper
Feb 6, 2025
Upper · Passed
Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care at 8:00 AM.
upper
Jan 31, 2025
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care at 8:00 AM.
upper
1 primary · 4 co-sponsors

Sponsors