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                    ENGROSSED SENATE BILL 5163

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State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Senators Brown, Kohl‑Welles, Patterson, Wojahn and Eide

Read first time 01/15/1999.  Referred to Committee on Labor & Workforce Development.

Modifying good cause reasons for failure to participate in WorkFirst program components. 

    AN ACT Relating to the WorkFirst program; amending RCW 74.08A.270; and adding a new section to chapter 74.08A RCW.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 74.08A.270 and 1997 c 58 s 314 are each amended to read as follows:

 Good cause reasons for failure to participate in WorkFirst program components include:  (1) Situations where the recipient is a parent or other relative personally providing care for a child under the age of six years, and formal or informal child care, or day care for an incapacitated individual living in the same home as a dependent child, is necessary for an individual to participate or continue participation in the program or accept employment, and such care is not available, and the department fails to provide such care; or (2) until June 30, ((1999)) 2001, if the recipient is a parent with a child under the age of one year.  A parent may only receive this exemption for a total of twelve months, which may be consecutive or nonconsecutive; or (3) after June 30, ((1999)) 2001, if the recipient is a parent with a child under three months of age.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 74.08 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) DSHS shall report to the legislature by December 1, 2000 on the implementation of the child care training program authorized for TANF recipients as part of the WorkFirst program, including the number of recipients trained and the number working in child care and early childhood education after completion of the training.

    (2) DSHS shall report to the legislature by December 1, 2000 and each year thereafter a comparison of the market rate for infant care and the state rate paid to providers of infant care statewide and by region.

    (3) DSHS shall report to the legislature by December 1, 2000 on the availability, affordability and accessability of child care for infants statewide and by region.

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