FINAL BILL REPORT

                 SHB 1778

                         C 194 L 93

                     Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Establishing the office of state employee child care.

By House Committee on Human Services (originally sponsored by Representatives Wolfe, Brown, Talcott, Leonard, Johanson, Kessler, Appelwick, Romero, Pruitt, H. Myers, Edmondson, Linville, Veloria, Anderson, Reams, Rust, Miller, Wang and J. Kohl).

Background:  In 1985, legislation was enacted allowing state owned and leased buildings to be used to provide child care for state employees. Initially, a self-supporting child care demonstration project was funded. Subsequently, in 1990, $600,000 was appropriated as part of the capital budget. That program was again funded on a wider basis in the 1991-93 Biennium, with grants and services being provided on a statewide basis. Some problems have arisen in the provision of these services because of the original laws' limitation to a demonstration program.

Summary:  A state agency may identify space it wishes to use for employee child care or it may request the Department of General Administration to do so. Language that confines state employee child care services to a demonstration program in the Olympia area is deleted.

Partnerships between agencies, employees, labor organizations and private employers in an effort to increase the availability of available, quality child care will be promoted. The responsibility for developing related policies is assigned to the director of the Department of Personnel, in consultation with the Child Care Coordinating Committee.

The membership of the Child Care Coordinating Committee is increased to a maximum of 33 members, including representatives from the Department of Personnel and the Department of Health.

Votes on Final Passage:

House  73 25

Senate 30 14

Effective:  July 25, 1993