A Washington state bill is headed to Governor Jay Inslee's desk after the state Legislature voted to remove an amendment that gained national attention and sparked outrage by some nurses last week.
Senate Bill 1155 requires uninterrupted meal and rest breaks for nurses. On Wednesday, Senate lawmakers passed the bill without the amendment that would have added an eight-hour workday limit for nurses.
The eight-hour mandate came to the legislation as an amendment offered by Sen. Maureen Walsh (R-Walla Walla). While on the floor, Walsh angered nurses by saying some may spend a lot of time playing cards in rural hospitals.
Walsh wanted an amendment that would exclude hospitals with fewer than 25 beds, saying she thought those nurses "probably play cards for a considerable amount of the day."
That sparked a petition demanding Walsh shadow a nurse on a 12-hour shift and well over a half million people signed on.
Walsh said this week that her comments were taken out of context but apologized and agreed to shadow a nurse.
Later on in the day the House approved the measure. The bill now heads to the governor's desk for a signature.