HOUSE BILL REPORT
SSB 6329
This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent. |
As Passed House - Amended:
March 3, 2016
Title: An act relating to creating the parent to parent program for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Brief Description: Creating the parent to parent program for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Sponsors: Senate Committee on Human Services, Mental Health & Housing (originally sponsored by Senators O'Ban, Conway, Becker, Fain, Cleveland, Dammeier, Keiser, Darneille, Rolfes, Hobbs, Litzow, Angel, McAuliffe, Habib and Jayapal).
Brief History:
Committee Activity:
Early Learning & Human Services: 2/23/16, 2/24/16 [DPA];
Appropriations: 2/27/16, 2/29/16 [DPA(APP w/o ELHS)].
Floor Activity:
Passed House - Amended: 3/3/16, 96-1.
Brief Summary of Substitute Bill (As Amended by House) |
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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EARLY LEARNING & HUMAN SERVICES |
Majority Report: Do pass as amended. Signed by 10 members: Representatives Kagi, Chair; Senn, Vice Chair; Walsh, Ranking Minority Member; Dent, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Hawkins, Kilduff, McCaslin, Ortiz-Self, Sawyer and Walkinshaw.
Staff: Luke Wickham (786-7146).
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS |
Majority Report: Do pass as amended by Committee on Appropriations and without amendment by Committee on Early Learning & Human Services. Signed by 32 members: Representatives Dunshee, Chair; Ormsby, Vice Chair; Chandler, Ranking Minority Member; Parker, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Wilcox, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Buys, Cody, Condotta, Dent, Fitzgibbon, Haler, Hansen, Harris, Hudgins, S. Hunt, Jinkins, Kagi, Lytton, MacEwen, Magendanz, Manweller, Pettigrew, Robinson, Sawyer, Schmick, Senn, Springer, Stokesbary, Sullivan, Tharinger, Van Werven and Walkinshaw.
Minority Report: Do not pass. Signed by 1 member: Representative Taylor.
Staff: Mary Mulholland (786-7391).
Background:
The Parent to Parent Program.
The Parent to Parent program connects parents of children with certain disabilities and special needs with other volunteer parents who also have children with similar disabilities or special needs. The volunteer parents provide peer and emotional support. The program also offers educational trainings and workshops for parents.
There are Parent to Parent programs in 31 counties including Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Clark, Columbia, Cowlitz, Douglas, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Lewis, Lincoln, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Walla Walla, Whatcom, Whitman, and Yakima.
Parent to Parent USA is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote access and quality in parent-to-parent support for all families who have children or adolescents with a special health need, mental health issue, or disability. In Washington, many of the Parent to Parent programs are hosted by The Arc of Washington State.
Summary of Amended Bill:
Goals for the Parent to Parent program for individuals are established and include:
providing early outreach, support, and education to parents of children with special health care needs;
matching a trained volunteer support parent with a new parent who has a child with similar needs; and
providing parents with tools and resources to be successful.
Activities of the Parent to Parent program may include:
outreach and support to newly identified parents of children with special health care needs;
educational trainings for parents to support their children;
ongoing peer support from a trained volunteer support parent; and
regular communication with other local programs.
If funds are provided, the Parent to Parent program must be funded through the Developmental Disability Administration to a Washington lead organization that has extensive experience supporting and training support parents.
Through a contract with the lead organization, each local program must be administered by a host organization. A parent or grandparent of a child with developmental disabilities or special health care needs shall provide program coordination and local program information. The lead organization shall provide ongoing training to the host organizations and statewide program oversight.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date of Amended Bill: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed. However, the bill is null and void unless funded in the budget.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony (Early Learning & Human Services):
(In support) This Parent to Parent program is very helpful to parents. Parenting a child with a developmental disability or special health care needs can be very isolating. These parents can also feel overwhelmed by the information being thrown at them. The Parent to Parent program helps families through these difficult experiences and empowers other parents to provide that assistance. This program makes all the difference in the world when you have someone else that you can talk to that understands what you are going through and you do not have to explain the emotions that you are experiencing. Families come in many shapes and sizes and do their best, but sometimes that is not enough. Aging, financial instability, providing food and shelter, and divorce are some of the challenges that these families experience. Families are the natural supports for other families.
(Opposed) None.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony (Appropriations):
(In support) None.
(Opposed) None.
Persons Testifying (Early Learning & Human Services): Senator O'Ban, prime sponsor; Sara Palm-Sons, Parent to Parent; and Michele Lehosky, Parent to Parent of Pierce County.
Persons Testifying (Appropriations): None.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying (Early Learning & Human Services): None.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying (Appropriations): None.