Passed by the Senate April 20, 2007 YEAS 45   BRAD OWEN ________________________________________ President of the Senate Passed by the House April 19, 2007 YEAS 97   FRANK CHOPP ________________________________________ 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 5830 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth. THOMAS HOEMANN ________________________________________ Secretary | |
Approved May 14, 2007, 3:35 p.m. CHRISTINE GREGOIRE ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington | May 15, 2007 Secretary of State State of Washington |
State of Washington | 60th Legislature | 2007 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 02/23/07.
AN ACT Relating to home visitation services for families; adding new sections to chapter 43.121 RCW; and repealing RCW 43.70.530.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 A new section is added to chapter 43.121 RCW
to read as follows:
The legislature finds that:
(1) The years from birth to three are critical in building the
social, emotional, and cognitive developmental foundations of a young
child. Research into the brain development of young children reveals
that children are born learning.
(2) The farther behind children are in their social, emotional,
physical, and cognitive development, the more difficult it will be for
them to catch up.
(3) A significant number of children age birth to five years are
born with two or more of the following risk factors and have a greater
chance of failure in school and beyond: Poverty; single or no parent;
no parent employed full time or full year; all parents with disability;
and mother without a high school degree.
(4) Parents and children involved in home visitation programs
exhibit better birth outcomes, enhanced parent and child interactions,
more efficient use of health care services, enhanced child development
including improved school readiness, and early detection of
developmental delays, as well as reduced welfare dependence, higher
rates of school completion and job retention, reduction in frequency
and severity of maltreatment, and higher rates of school graduation.
The legislature intends to promote the use of voluntary home
visitation services to families as an early intervention strategy to
alleviate the effect on child development of factors such as poverty,
single parenthood, parental unemployment or underemployment, parental
disability, or parental lack of a high school diploma, which research
shows are risk factors for child abuse and neglect and poor educational
outcomes.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 43.121 RCW
to read as follows:
The definitions in this section apply throughout sections 1 through
4 of this act unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Evidence-based" means a program or practice that has had
multiple site random controlled trials across heterogeneous populations
demonstrating that the program or practice is effective for the
population.
(2) "Home visitation" means providing services in the permanent or
temporary residence, or in other familiar surroundings, of the family
receiving such services.
(3) "Research-based" means a program or practice that has some
research demonstrating effectiveness, but that does not yet meet the
standard of evidence-based practices.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 A new section is added to chapter 43.121 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) Within available funds, the children's trust of Washington
shall fund evidence-based and research-based home visitation programs
for improving parenting skills and outcomes for children. Home
visitation programs must be voluntary and must address the needs of
families to alleviate the effect on child development of factors such
as poverty, single parenthood, parental unemployment or
underemployment, parental disability, or parental lack of high school
diploma, which research shows are risk factors for child abuse and
neglect and poor educational outcomes.
(2) The children's trust of Washington shall develop a plan with
the department of social and health services, the department of health,
the department of early learning, and the family policy council to
coordinate or consolidate home visitation services for children and
families and report to the appropriate committees of the legislature by
December 1, 2007, with their recommendations for implementation of the
plan.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 A new section is added to chapter 43.121 RCW
to read as follows:
To recognize the focus on home visitation services, the Washington
council for the prevention of child abuse and neglect is hereby renamed
the children's trust of Washington. All references to the Washington
council for the prevention of child abuse and neglect in the Revised
Code of Washington shall be construed to mean the children's trust of
Washington.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5 RCW 43.70.530 (Home visitor program) and
1998 c 245 s 75 & 1993 c 179 s 2 are each repealed.