Senate Passes COVID Presumption Measure for Health Care Workers

The Washington state Senate passed a bill that would create a presumption of compensability for health care workers who contract a contagious disease that is the subject of a public health emergency. The Senate on Thursday voted 34-15 to pass SB 5190, by Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Spokane. The bill would create a presumption covering health care workers at any type of facility who have direct contact with a person who has been exposed to or tested positive for a disease that is the subject of a health emergency. Employers could rebut the presumption with clear and convincing evidence that exposure o...