H-0946.1

HOUSE BILL 1851

ByRepresentatives Senn, Eslick, Kilduff, Sells, Chapman, Appleton, and Shewmake

AN ACT Relating to creating the care worker research and resource center; adding a new section to chapter 28C.18 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

(2) The legislature also recognizes that care workers are among the lowest paid workers in the labor market. Currently, these positions offer little room for economic advancement and rarely offer employee benefits. Additionally, care worker schedules can be unpredictable, making it difficult to supplement income with other jobs or to go to school to prepare for higher paid employment opportunities. Erratic schedules and low income also can burden families and cause chaos to home and family life.

(3) The legislature also recognizes that the need for paid care workers is expected to grow over the next twenty years. These jobs cannot be internationally outsourced and there will always be a need for care workers.

(4) It is the legislature's intent to support the career, economic, and professional success of care workers in order to improve the health, safety, and social outcomes of the individuals receiving care. Therefore, the legislature is establishing the care worker research and resource center.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28C.18 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The board's health care stakeholder group, described under RCW 28C.18.120, shall select an entity to create, administer, and maintain a care worker research and resource center.

(2) The purpose of the center is to provide:

(a) Support and resources to care workers; and

(b) Research and relevant data to policymakers and caregiving organizations.

(3) The center shall provide research and relevant data by:

(a) Identifying the various types of care workers who are in service across the state and developing an occupational code for each;

(b) Tracking turnover rates and gathering information to better understand the reasons why care workers remain in the occupation and why care workers leave the occupation;

(c) Maintaining a searchable repository of research and periodically disseminating summaries of latest findings;

(d) Performing research and analysis on trends within Washington, including but not limited to, numbers and demographics of care workers in each subfield, care workers' trajectories to health and education professions, care workers' health and longevity on the job, the outcomes and impacts that care worker interventions have on recipients of care, income and benefit trends among care workers, and impacts of care worker shortages on communities, families, and workplaces.

(4) The center shall provide support to care workers by:

(a) Developing recommendations for new career and economic pathway models for care workers, especially within the health care and education sectors;

(b) Mapping care worker jobs to the necessary skill sets, competencies, abilities, and experiences, and identifying similarities and differences across care-worker specialties;

(c) Identifying other career opportunities that value the competencies attained through care work, and creating navigational maps and supports to help care workers access new careers;

(d) Working with secondary career and technical education and postsecondary education and training provider communities to develop education pathways to support care workers in progressing in their current occupations or navigating within new occupations;

(e) Working with postsecondary education and training providers to allow for credit for prior and work-based learning;

(e) Facilitating the elimination of racial and ethnic disparities in health care and education for care workers;

(f) Establishing an online portal and physical on-site networks for care workers to receive services. Services include, for example, career and educational guidance, benefits information, job search assistance, and referrals to services to help care workers address family and personal issues. The physical on-site networks may be located at sites such as WorkSource centers, libraries, and educational institutions;

(g) Creating online professional development learning opportunities and facilitated online learning opportunities at the local sites;

(h) Establishing peer support or peer mentoring opportunities;

(i) Providing care workers information on caring for the care worker that includes information about free and low-cost services or other resources to support the well-being of care workers and their families; and

(j) Developing emerging best practices information, reference guides, and other materials about the various subfields of care work.

(5) By December 31, 2019, the board's stakeholder group must present an initial report to the appropriate committees of the legislature on its progress of implementing this section.

(6) The care worker research and resource center must be established by July 1, 2020. By December 31, 2020, and each December 31st thereafter, the center must present a report to the appropriate committees of the legislature and the board's health care stakeholder group. The report must include, at a minimum, a summary of data collected and a summary of the types of support and resources provided to care workers, as required under this section.

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