S-2141.1 _______________________________________________
SECOND SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5652
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State of Washington 57th Legislature 2001 Regular Session
By Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Costa, Winsley, Thibaudeau, Deccio, B. Sheldon, Prentice, Fraser, Kohl‑Welles and Fairley)
READ FIRST TIME 03/08/01.
AN ACT Relating to improving the quality of in-home long-term care services provided by state funded individual providers; amending RCW 74.39A.005; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW 74.39A.005 and 2000 c 121 s 9 are each amended to read as follows:
The legislature finds that the aging of the population and advanced medical technology have resulted in a growing number of persons who require assistance. The primary resource for long-term care continues to be family and friends. However, these traditional caregivers are increasingly employed outside the home. There is a growing demand for improvement and expansion of home and community-based long-term care services to support and complement the services provided by these informal caregivers.
The legislature further
finds that the public interest would best be served by ((a broad)) an
array of long-term care services that support persons who need such services at
home or in the community whenever practicable and that promote individual
autonomy, dignity, and choice. An integrated long-term care system provided
through a continuum of care is the most effective means of providing quality
long-term care services to the residents of Washington state. The services
provided should be based upon consumer choice and care needs, within available
resources, with consumers moving through the continuum as their needs change.
Each service included in the long-term care services continuum, including
informal caregiver support, in-home services provided through individual
providers or home care agencies, residential care, and nursing home care, plays
an important role in the continuum of care.
The legislature finds
that as other long-term care options become more available, the relative need
for nursing homes ((beds)) or institutional settings is
likely to decline. The legislature recognizes, however, that nursing home care
will continue to be a critical part of the state's long-term care options, and
that such services should promote individual dignity, autonomy, and a homelike
environment.
The legislature finds that many recipients of in-home services are vulnerable and their health and well-being are dependent on their caregivers. The quality, skills, and knowledge of their caregivers are often the key to good care. The legislature finds that the need for well-trained caregivers is growing as the state's population ages and clients' needs increase. The legislature intends that current training standards be enhanced.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The Washington state institute for public policy shall study the experience of at least two states that have established arrangements that enable individual providers of home care services to collectively bargain the terms of their employment. For each collective bargaining arrangement examined, the study shall describe the arrangement's origin, organization, functions, operating costs, financing, and legal relationship to state government and to individual providers of home care service. The study shall also include an assessment of what impact each such arrangement has had upon the availability and quality of home care services; the compensation and working conditions of the workers who provide them; the public cost of those services; and consumer and provider satisfaction with the arrangement. The institute shall report its findings to the fiscal, health care, and labor and commerce committees of the legislature by November 15, 2001.
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