Title: An act relating to adult family home services.

Brief Description: Regulating adult family home staff.

Sponsors: By House Committee on Health Care (originally sponsored by Representatives Curtis, Cody, Bailey, Clibborn, Skinner and Schual-Berke).

Brief History:

Health Care: 2/22/05, 2/25/05 [DPS].

Floor Activity:

Passed House: 3/8/05, 97-0.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH CARE

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 15 members: Representatives Cody, Chair; Campbell, Vice Chair; Morrell, Vice Chair; Bailey, Ranking Minority Member; Curtis, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Alexander, Appleton, Clibborn, Condotta, Green, Hinkle, Lantz, Moeller, Schual-Berke and Skinner.

Staff: Dave Knutson (786-7146).

Background:

Adult family homes are facilities licensed to care for up to six individuals who need long-term care. These homes provide room, board, laundry, necessary supervision, assistance with activities of daily living, personal care, and nursing services if necessary. The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) is responsible for licensing adult family homes, which provide community-based residential care for elderly and disabled individuals. Individual food handler permits are required for adult family home providers and staff.

In 2001, Governor Locke partially vetoed SHB 1320. The veto removed the authority for employees of adult family homes to replace a food handlers license from the Department of Health with approved additional food safety training as part of their regular care giver training. The requirement for DSHS to develop opportunities for its staff to become familiar with the routines of adult family homes was also eliminated.

Summary of Substitute Bill:

The DSHS is required to implement a food safety component as part of the required training for staff and providers in adult family homes. The food safety component must meet the standards established by the State Board of Health. Adult family home providers and staff will not be required to have an individual food handlers permit if they successfully complete training. Persons who begin working in adult family homes after June 30, 2005 may receive food handling training through the basic and modified-basic caregiver training program. Workers hired prior to June 30, 2005 must maintain 30 minutes of continuing education per year to maintain food handling and safety training.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: This bill will consolidate food handler safety training into a single training process. Adult family homes are a home-like setting, and the food handler training needs to be consistent with that. This change will improve training for staff in adult family homes and maintain their home-like setting.

Testimony Against: None.

Persons Testifying: Representative Curtis, prime sponsor; Aaron Mountain, Washington State Residential Care Council; Bill Day, Adult Family Home Association of Washington; and Louise Ryan, Long Term Care Ombudsman Program.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.