H-3466.4 _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 2811
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State of Washington 56th Legislature 2000 Regular Session
By Representatives McIntire, Boldt, Tokuda, O'Brien, Campbell, Reardon, D. Schmidt, Wood, Edmonds and Santos
Read first time 01/20/2000. Referred to Committee on Commerce & Labor.
AN ACT Relating to community services programs for persons with developmental disabilities; adding a new section to chapter 71A.12 RCW; creating a new section; and providing an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that persons with developmental disabilities must be given access to quality residential programs that allow independent living in the communities of Washington state. The inability of private community services providers to pay competitive wages is threatening safety and quality of services. The benchmark reimbursement rate for community residential services providers is not adequate to attract and retain qualified staff and the gap between the wage level of state employees in the state-operated living alternatives program and private contracted community residential programs is widening. To achieve community service system stabilization, employees of contracted community residential programs should be compensated at a level near parity with the rate paid employees of state-operated living alternatives programs.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 71A.12 RCW to read as follows:
The secretary shall adopt rules to provide that certified community residential programs for persons with developmental disabilities shall be paid a benchmark rate for wages and benefits that amounts to no less than eighty percent of the average hourly wages and benefits paid to employees of the state-operated living alternatives program.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. This act takes effect July 1, 2001.
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