The bill adds a new section to chapter 18.79 RCW that limits what the board may require of nursing education programs and makes several procedural changes. It generally prohibits the board from imposing standards on nursing education programs beyond those required for national accreditation, prohibits requiring nationally accredited programs to produce a separate study aligning their policies with the board, and deems an accreditation self-study and related documentation submitted to a national accreditation body to satisfy board requirements. The bill also allows the board to require a program that must produce findings, recommendations, or a corrective action plan to a national accreditation body to provide those items to the board, but it prohibits the board from demanding additional corrective action or documentation beyond what the national accreditation body requires. The bill creates procedural provisions that require the board to provide technical assistance to programs with a national council licensure examination pass rate below 80 percent and to expedite approval of new nursing education program applications from institutions of higher education that already have approved, nationally accredited nursing programs. It permits the board to require certification in clinical simulation only for the simulation director and the lead nurse educator, and it allows the board to require continued professional development for nurse educators only if funding is appropriated or adequate resources are available. It defines "national nursing education accreditation body" and "nursing education program" for the new section. The text provided does not identify which specific board is meant (the bill repeatedly refers to "the board"), does not give a specific RCW section number for the new section, and includes no effective date, enforcement mechanisms, penalties, or detailed procedures for how technical assistance or expedited approvals will be implemented. The bill was read for the first time on 01/15/26 and was referred to the Committee on Postsecondary Education & Workforce.

If enacted, nursing programs at public colleges and universities would generally avoid duplicated state requirements when they already meet a recognized national nursing accreditation standard: the programs’ accreditation self-studies and related accreditation documentation would count for state review, the state board could not impose extra corrective actions beyond those required by the national accreditor, and programs that already have approved, nationally accredited nursing units could expect faster approval for new program applications. That will likely lower administrative work and compliance costs for those programs, reduce the paperwork they must produce for the board, and speed expansion at institutions with existing accredited programs. Simulation directors and lead nurse educators would be most likely required to hold clinical simulation certification, while broader educator training mandates would only apply if the legislature provides funding, so mandatory professional development is less likely to create new unfunded costs for schools. The state board referenced will face new duties and limits: it must provide technical help to programs with NCLEX pass rates below 80 percent and expedite certain approvals, which could increase the board’s workload and require resources to deliver assistance and faster reviews. It’s unclear from the excerpt which specific board is meant, when the changes take effect, and how the board must operate the technical assistance and expedited approval processes, so some practical implementation details and potential costs or timelines remain uncertain.