HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1863

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                 Children & Family Services

Title:  An act relating to child care.

Brief Description:  Training public assistance recipients to be child care workers.

Sponsors:  Representatives Cooke, Dickerson, Boldt, McDonald, Hatfield, Gombosky, Wood, Regala, Blalock, Conway, Costa, Pennington, Anderson, Kessler and Ogden.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Children & Family Services:  2/18/97, 2/27/97 [DPS].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 11 members:  Representatives Cooke, Chairman; Boldt, Vice Chairman; Bush, Vice Chairman; Tokuda, Ranking Minority Member; Kastama, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Ballasiotes; Carrell; Dickerson; Gombosky; McDonald and Wolfe.

Staff:  David Knutson (786-7146).

Background:  Recipients of cash assistance may volunteer to work in a licensed child care facility as an approved community service option.  The Office of Child Care Policy provides grants to child care resource and referral programs.  State grants fund information about child care providers, recruitment and training of child care providers, support services, maintain a statewide child care licensing data bank, and other functions.  State grant funds are not currently targeted exclusively at low-income working families.

Summary of Substitute Bill:  The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) will contract for two studies related to child care needs of recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).  The department is authorized to support child care programs, within available funds.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill: The requirement that the DSHS train 250 recipients of TANF to become child care providers or child care teachers is removed.  The requirement that state grant funds administered by the Office of Child Care Policy be used to pay for the training is eliminated.  The department is required to complete child care studies.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  Some recipients of TANF may make good child care teachers or in-home child care providers.  The state should be in favor of training to prepare some recipients to be child care providers.

Testimony Against:  None presented.

Testified:  Nina Auerbach, Washington State Child Care Resource and Referral Network (pro with concerns); Pam Jones, Child Care Alliance, Incorporated (pro); Charlotte Dedman, Child Care Action Council Resource and Referral (pro); and Liz Dunbar, Department of Social and Health Services (pro with concerns).