| Passed by the Senate March 6, 2009 YEAS 45 ________________________________________ President of the Senate Passed by the House April 13, 2009 YEAS 98 ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives | I, Thomas Hoemann, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5882 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth. ________________________________________ Secretary | |
| Approved ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington | Secretary of State State of Washington |
| State of Washington | 61st Legislature | 2009 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 02/25/09.
AN ACT Relating to an evaluation of two recommendations made by the racial disproportionality advisory committee; adding a new section to chapter 13.34 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 (1) The legislature finds that research
conducted by the Washington state institute for public policy released
in June 2008, demonstrates that racial disproportionality exists in
Washington's child welfare system and that the greatest
disproportionality occurs when the initial referral to child protective
services is made and when the decision is made to place a child in out-of-home care. The institute's research also demonstrates that children
of African-American, Native American, and Latino families have
disproportionately longer lengths of stay in foster care.
(2) The legislature finds further that the department of social and
health services, in a December 2008 report issued pursuant to
Substitute House Bill No. 1472 of 2007, identified initial
recommendations for remediation of racial diproportionality, including
examining specific current child welfare practices, structured
decision-making and family team decision-making, to determine whether
and how these practices might result in reducing or eliminating racial
disproportionality.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 13.34 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) Within amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, or
within funding made available by private grant or contribution, the
Washington state institute for public policy shall evaluate the
department of social and health services' use of structured decision-making practices and implementation of the family team decision-making
model to determine whether and how those child protection and child
welfare efforts result in reducing disproportionate representation of
African-American, Native American, and Latino children in the state's
child welfare system. The institute shall analyze the points in the
system at which current data reflect the greatest levels of
disproportionality. The institute shall report its findings to the
legislature and the department of social and health services by
September 1, 2010.
(2) If adequate funding is not made available through state
appropriation or through private grant or contribution to
simultaneously study the impact on racial disproportionality of both
the structured decision-making process and family team decision-making
model, the institute shall first study and report on the family team
decision-making model. The department of social and health services
and the Washington state institute for public policy jointly, shall:
(a) Promptly complete and execute a data sharing agreement to
comply with the department's confidential or records requirements and
to provide the institute with data and other information necessary to
conduct its evaluation; and
(b) Identify potential sources of private funding to supplement any
state appropriated amounts.