BILL REQ. #:  S-3907.1 

Read first time 01/19/10.   Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

     AN ACT Relating to creating the family friendly court grant program; adding new sections to chapter 2.56 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that many families experience challenges and transitions with legal ramifications that often necessitate court involvement. Frequently, these legal matters are manifested in juvenile offender, child in need of supervision, at-risk youth, child protective, domestic relations, domestic violence, third-party custody proceedings and other matters that require the presence of individuals and family members at court proceedings. Many persons whose attendance is required at these court proceedings are responsible for the care of young children. For many such individuals, child care issues can distract from, if not present obstacles or even barriers to, effective and complete participation in ongoing court proceedings. The legislature therefore determines that the creation of family friendly court child care programs would be beneficial to and in the best interests of the citizens of the state of Washington. The legislature further finds that the goal of such programs shall be to provide quality child care in or near courthouses to the children of individuals and families whose presence is required at court-related proceedings.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 2.56 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Subject to the availability of funding, the family friendly court grant program is created. The purpose of the program is to provide quality in-court child care services to the children of individuals who are attending court proceedings or related matters. For purposes of this chapter, "in-court child care" means child care services provided in the courthouse or courthouse complex or in close proximity to the courthouse.
     (2) The administrator for the courts shall develop and administer the program subject to the requirements in section 3 of this act. As part of administering the program, the administrator for the courts shall define appropriate outcome measures, collect data, and gather information from courts receiving grants.
     (3) In addition to grants received from the administrator for the courts under this section, superior courts implementing family friendly court programs under this act are authorized to accept any funds, grants, gifts, or donations from any private or public source for the purpose of implementing this act. No grant or donation shall be accepted if the conditions attached to the grant or donation require the expenditure of those moneys in a manner contrary to law.
     (4) Funds received by the superior court for the family friendly court program must be used to supplement, not supplant, any other local, state, or federal funds for the court.
     (5) Upon receipt of any funds for the purpose of this act, the superior court shall submit to the administrator for the courts a spending plan detailing the use of the funds for in-court child care. At the end of the fiscal year, the superior court shall submit to the administrator for the courts a financial report comparing the spending plan to actual expenditures.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 2.56 RCW to read as follows:
     A superior court may apply for grants from the family friendly court grant program by submitting an application with the administrator for the courts. To be eligible to receive grant funds, a superior court must agree to be responsible for:
     (1) Recruiting and hiring qualified and skilled child care providers and ensuring that all child care licensing requirements in chapter 43.215 RCW are met;
     (2) Conducting the necessary criminal history checks;
     (3) Selecting and establishing a safe physical location for the in-court child care;
     (4) Implementing a method of evaluating the effectiveness of the program and assessing the impact of the child care services provided through the program; and
     (5) Reporting annually to the administrator for the courts concerning the results of the superior court's evaluation of the family friendly court grant program as well as an accounting of fiscal contributions received and expenditures made by the superior court for the implementation, administration, and maintenance of the program and such other information that the administrator for the courts may require.