HB 2652
In CommitteeHouse
Medical license relinquish.
Creating a nondisciplinary pathway for relinquishing licenses issued by the Washington medical commission.
This status may be delayed. See Action History below for the latest updates.
How does a bill become law?
- Introduced: The bill is filed and assigned a number.
- Committee: A subject-matter committee holds hearings, takes public testimony, and decides whether to advance the bill.
- Floor Vote: The full chamber (House or Senate) debates and votes on the bill.
- Opposite Chamber: The bill repeats the committee and floor vote process in the other chamber.
- Governor: The Governor reviews the bill and decides whether to sign or veto it.
- Signed: The bill has been signed into law.
AI Analysis
This bill allows medical professionals licensed by the Washington State Medical Commission to voluntarily and permanently give up their licenses without it being treated as discipline — as long as they are not under investigation or already facing disciplinary action. The relinquishment is confidential and does not go on public or national databases.
- Creates a voluntary, nondisciplinary pathway for medical licensees to relinquish their licenses permanently.
- Prohibits relinquishment if the licensee is under investigation or already subject to discipline by the Washington State Medical Commission.
- States that relinquishment is not an adverse action and does not need to be reported to disciplinary databases, the National Practitioner Data Bank, or other public reporting systems.
- Requires the Medical Commission to adopt rules to implement the process, including ensuring relinquishment is truly voluntary and permanent.
- Makes relinquished licenses non-reinstatable — once given up, the licensee cannot reapply for the same license.
Who is affected
- Medical licensees (e.g., physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, etc.) — Doctors and other medical professionals licensed by the Washington State Medical Commission who wish to voluntarily end their license without facing discipline or investigation.
- Patients and the general public — Patients and the public, as the bill ensures that voluntary license relinquishment does not carry negative reporting consequences and maintains transparency about license status.
- Washington State Medical Commission — The Washington State Medical Commission, which must develop and implement new rules to support this voluntary relinquishment process.
Pro/Con Analysis
Potential Benefits (2)
Reduces psychological and professional stigma for medical professionals experiencing burnout, mental health crises, or other non-disciplinary reasons for leaving practice — enabling cleaner exits without career-long reputational penalties.
HealthcarePeopleRef: Sec. 1 (‘Relinquishment under these rules must be voluntary... The relinquishment is not an adverse action...’)Reduces administrative burden on the Medical Commission by formalizing and streamlining closure of non-disciplinary cases, potentially freeing up staff time and resources for higher-priority enforcement and investigations.
Local GovernmentPeopleRef: Sec. 1 (‘The commission is authorized to conduct rule making... to allow for the relinquishment of the license...’)
Potential Concerns (3)
Reduces transparency for patients and employers by making license relinquishment confidential and non-reportable, potentially hiding patterns of professional misconduct or impairment that could otherwise be flagged through standard disciplinary reporting.
Public SafetyPeopleRef: Sec. 1 (‘The relinquishment is not an adverse action and as such is not reportable to any disciplinary databases, the national practitioner data bank, or other websites.’)Eliminates a potential pathway for rehabilitation and return to practice for professionals who may have temporarily stepped away due to health, burnout, or other non-disciplinary reasons — potentially reducing the pool of qualified providers over time.
HealthcarePeopleRef: Sec. 1 (‘Licensees who request this process agree to the permanent relinquishment of the property right and shall have no right to reinstatement or renewal.’)Creates a procedural barrier that may incentivize some licensees facing imminent discipline to fight the case rather than voluntarily relinquish — potentially prolonging investigations and adversarial proceedings, increasing stress on all parties and straining commission resources.
Public SafetyLean peopleRef: Sec. 1 (‘The license cannot be relinquished in lieu of discipline or if the licensee is subject to discipline or under investigation by the commission.’)
Who Is Most Affected
Medical professionals experiencing burnout, health issues, or retirement may benefit from a clean, stigma-free exit from practice without fear of future reporting or barriers to future employment in non-clinical roles.
Patients may face slightly reduced transparency about provider status changes, but benefit from avoiding prolonged disciplinary processes that could delay care or create uncertainty.
The Medical Commission gains a more efficient administrative process for closing non-disciplinary cases, but must invest in rulemaking and oversight to ensure voluntariness and prevent misuse.
Hospitals, clinics, and staffing agencies may benefit from clearer, faster resolution of provider credentialing issues when a clinician voluntarily exits, but may lose visibility into why a provider left practice.
Future licensees may benefit from a more humane exit process that supports workforce stability, but could be disadvantaged if the pool of returning professionals shrinks due to permanent relinquishment.