| Passed by the Senate March 6, 2012 YEAS 48 ________________________________________ President of the Senate Passed by the House February 29, 2012 YEAS 97 ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives | I, Thomas Hoemann, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6226 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth. ________________________________________ Secretary | |
| Approved ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington | Secretary of State State of Washington |
| State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2012 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 02/03/12.
AN ACT Relating to authorization periods for subsidized child care; amending RCW 43.215.135; adding a new section to chapter 43.215 RCW; and providing an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 RCW 43.215.135 and 2011 1st sp.s. c 42 s 11 are each
amended to read as follows:
(1) The department shall establish and implement policies in the
working connections child care program to promote stability and quality
of care for children from low-income households. Policies for the
expenditure of funds constituting the working connections child care
program must be consistent with the outcome measures defined in RCW
74.08A.410 and the standards established in this section intended to
promote continuity of care for children.
(2) As a condition of receiving a child care subsidy or a working
connections child care subsidy, the applicant or recipient must seek
child support enforcement services from the department of social and
health services, division of child support, unless the department finds
that the applicant or recipient has good cause not to cooperate.
(3) ((Except as provided in subsection (4) of this section, an
applicant or recipient of a child care subsidy or a working connections
child care subsidy is eligible to receive that subsidy for six months
before having to recertify his or her income eligibility. The six-month certification provision applies only if enrollments in the child
care subsidy or working connections child care program are capped.)) Beginning in fiscal year ((
(4)2011, for families with children
enrolled in an early childhood education and assistance program, a head
start program, or an early head start program)) 2013, authorizations
for the working connections child care subsidy shall be effective for
twelve months unless a change in circumstances necessitates
reauthorization sooner than twelve months. The twelve-month
certification applies only if the enrollments in the child care subsidy
or working connections child care program are capped.
(((5) The department, in consultation with the department of social
and health services, shall report to the legislature by September 1,
2011, with:))
(a) An analysis of the impact of the twelve-month authorization
period on the stability of child care, program costs, and
administrative savings; and
(b) Recommendations for expanding the application of the twelve-month authorization period to additional populations of children in
care.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 43.215 RCW
to read as follows:
When an applicant or recipient applies for or receives working
connections child care benefits, he or she is required to:
(1) Notify the department of social and health services, within
five days, of any change in providers; and
(2) Notify the department of social and health services, within ten
days, about any significant change related to the number of child care
hours the applicant or recipient needs, cost sharing, or eligibility.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 This act takes effect July 1, 2012.