S-3534.2  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6655

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     2000 Regular Session

By Senators Thibaudeau, Sheahan, Roach, T. Sheldon, Deccio, B. Sheldon, Franklin, Wojahn, Winsley, Benton, Hochstatter, Morton, Patterson, Long, Costa, Prentice, McAuliffe, Stevens, Rasmussen, Kohl‑Welles and Oke

Read first time 01/21/2000.  Referred to Committee on Health & Long‑Term Care.

Establishing a residential habilitation governing board.

    AN ACT Relating to a residential habilitation governing board; amending RCW 71A.20.060; adding a new section to chapter 71A.20 RCW; creating a new section; and providing an effective date.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 71A.20 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) The residential habilitation governing board is created.  All duties and responsibilities formerly held under this title for the purposes of managing services in the state's residential habilitation centers are transferred to the residential habilitation governing board.

    (2) The governor shall appoint the members of the residential habilitation governing board which will be composed of seven members, of which five will represent each of the five currently operating residential habilitation centers.  Two members will be at large, one of whom will be designated as chair of the governing board.

    (3) Members shall serve four-year terms.  Of the initial members, one must be appointed for a one-year term, one must be appointed for a two-year term, one must be appointed for a three-year term, and the remainder must be appointed for four-year terms.  Thereafter, members must be appointed for four-year terms.  Members may not serve more than two consecutive terms.

    (4) On the effective date of this section, the department of social and health services shall transfer to the residential habilitation governing board any appropriations made to the department for carrying out the powers, functions, and duties transferred by this section.

    (5) The department shall deliver to the residential habilitation governing board all reports, documents, records, data, and any other written material pertaining to the operation of residential habilitation centers.

    (6) The transfer of powers, functions, duties, and employees mandated by this section, will not affect the validity of any act performed by the department of social and health services before the effective date of this section.

    (7) Nothing in this section alters any existing collective bargaining unit or the provisions of any existing collective bargaining agreement until the agreement expires or until the bargaining unit is modified by action of the personnel board as provided by law.

    (8) The department of social and health services, under agreements with the residential habilitation governing board, shall continue to offer community placements to individuals deemed appropriate to leave residential habilitation centers, and to facilitate reimbursement for residential habilitation centers under the federal medicaid program.

    (9) The residential habilitation governing board will establish a screening and admissions process for people who are eligible for services to apply directly to the governing board for admission to a residential habilitation center.  This process will include referrals from the courts, schools, or other entities which may have clients who could take advantage of the resources of a residential habilitation center.

    (10) All rules relating to the residential habilitation centers will remain in effect.

    Sec. 2.  RCW 71A.20.060 and 1988 c 176 s 706 are each amended to read as follows:

    The ((secretary)) residential habilitation governing board shall have authority to engage the residents of a residential habilitation center in beneficial work programs, including expanded vocational and training programs, but the ((secretary)) residential habilitation governing board shall not engage residents in excessive hours of work or work for disciplinary purposes.  The residential habilitation governing board shall establish a development program which will be set up to accept donations to the institutions for the purposes of offering scholarships to students who are OCF/MR eligible and want to take advantage of training and vocational programs at the residential habilitation centers.  Money from this fund would also be available to improve the quality of services at residential habilitation centers.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  The office of the code reviser is directed to prepare a bill deleting all references to the secretary of the department of social and health services regarding residential habilitation centers in the Revised Code of Washington and substituting them with the residential habilitation governing board.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.  This act takes effect July 1, 2000.

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