WSR 13-15-109

PREPROPOSAL STATEMENT OF INQUIRY

[Filed July 22, 2013, 11:59 a.m.]

Subject of Possible Rule Making: The community services division is proposing to amend WAC 388-310-0900 WorkFirst—Basic education, 388-444-0010 Who is exempt from work registration while receiving Basic Food? 388-444-0015 How can the Basic Food employment and training (BF E&T) help me find work?, 388-450-0100 Allocating Income—Definitions, and 388-482-0005 How does being a student impact my eligibility for the Washington Basic Food program?, and any other related rules.

Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.08.090 and SHB 1686, chapter 39, Laws of 2013.

Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: The department will propose amendments to comply with SHB 1686, chapter 39, Laws of 2013, which creates a high school equivalency certificate as a certificate issued jointly by the state board of community and technical colleges and the office of the superintendent of public instruction that indicates that the holder attained scores at or above the minimum proficiency level on a high school equivalency test. The law also removes the term "general educational development (GED)["] test throughout the statute and replaces it with the term "high school equivalency certificate."

Other Federal and State Agencies that Regulate this Subject and the Process Coordinating the Rule with These Agencies: None.

Process for Developing New Rule: DSHS welcomes the public to take part in developing the rules. Anyone interested should contact the staff person identified below. At a later date, DSHS will file a proposal with the office of the code reviser with a notice of proposed rule making. A copy of the proposal will be sent to everyone on the mailing list and to anyone who requests a copy.

Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting Kerry Judge-Kemp, Program Manager, Economic Services Administration, Community Services Division, P.O. Box 45470, Olympia, WA 98504-5470, phone (360) 725-4630, fax (360) 725-4905, e-mail judgeka@dshs.wa.gov.

July 17, 2013

Katherine I. Vasquez

Rules Coordinator