Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Early Learning & Human Services Committee

HB 2816

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Background:

Subsidized Child Care Programs.

Subsidized child care programs include the Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) program and the Seasonal Child Care (SCC) program. The Department of Early Learning (DEL) sets policy for child care subsidy programs and the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) determines eligibility and issues subsidy payments to providers. To receive authorizations for 12 months of child care subsidy, eligible families must have household incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Depending on income, the family may be required to pay a co-payment to their child care provider.

Working Connections Child Care.

The average monthly caseload of the WCCC cannot exceed 33,000 households, and the DSHS must prioritize certain groups for services. These groups include families applying for or receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits; families curing TANF sanction; foster children; children with special needs; minor parents attending high school full time; families receiving child welfare services; child protective services, or a family assessment response; and families who have received WCCC subsidy within the past 30 days and are reapplying for the program.

The WCCC may be provided by licensed child care centers, licensed family homes, or by in-home/relative providers also referred to as Family, Friend, and Neighbor providers. Parents receiving WCCC must be working or participating a DSHS-approved activity.

Seasonal Child Care.

The SCC program provides subsidized child care to seasonally employed agricultural workers in Adams, Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, Grant, Kittitas, Okanogan, Skagit, Walla Walla, Whatcom and Yakima counties.

SCC may be provided in licensed child care centers or in licensed family homes. In fiscal year 2017, 927 families received SCC.

Department of Children, Youth, and Families.

The 2017 Legislature required the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature outlining a plan for transferring the WCCC program into the DCYF by July 1, 2019. This report, submitted jointly by the DCYF, the DEL, and the DSHS, includes a plan for transferring eligibility staff, the treatment of shared client data, information technology systems, phone systems, staff training, federal cost allocation, and service delivery for the subsidized child care programs from the DSHS to the DCYF.

Summary of Bill:

Effective July 1, 2019, all powers, duties, and functions of the DSHS pertaining to the WCCC and SCC programs are transferred to the DCYF. The transfer includes:

all tangible property used in carrying out the program functions, including office equipment, reports, records, and files;
any appropriations made to DSHS for the programs' administration. If apportionments of budget funds are required due to the transfers, the Director of the Office of Financial Management must certify the apportionment to the affected agencies, the State Auditor, and the State Treasurer;
employees engaged in performing program functions. Employees classified under state civil service law are assigned to the DCYF without any loss of rights. Employees whose positions are within an existing bargaining unit description at the DCYF must become part of that bargaining unit; and
all rules and pending business before the DSHS pertaining to the programs are continued and to be acted upon by the DCYF.

The DCYF assumes all program responsibilities for the WCCC and the SCC, including determinations of program eligibility, providing services to parents applying for or receiving benefits, making payments to providers, and establishing and monitoring program outcome measures.