H-0729.1
HOUSE BILL 1367
State of Washington | 66th Legislature | 2019 Regular Session |
ByRepresentatives Sullivan, McCaslin, Eslick, Dent, Senn, Corry, Appleton, and Frame
Read first time 01/21/19.Referred to Committee on Human Services & Early Learning.
AN ACT Relating to child-placing agencies; creating a new section; providing an expiration date; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The department of children, youth, and families shall conduct a child-placing agency contract evaluation. The contract evaluation must include, but is not limited to, consideration of whether current contracts reflect the services provided by and responsibilities awarded to child-placing agencies, the appropriateness of data-sharing agreements between child-placing agencies and the department and whether changes to such agreements are recommended, and whether the contracts appropriately clarify the role of child-placing agencies within the foster care continuum in relation to foster parents, state case workers, and other stakeholders. The department shall complete the contract evaluation by July 15, 2019.
(2) The department of children, youth, and families shall contract with an outside entity to conduct a rate analysis of current rates compared with actual costs incurred by child-placing agencies. The analysis required under this section must be completed by October 1, 2019.
(3) The department of children, youth, and families shall facilitate a stakeholder work group in a collaborative effort to design a child-placing agency rate payment methodology based on actual provider costs of care. The work group shall consider the findings of the contracted rate analysis in designing the methodology. By December 15, 2019, and in compliance with RCW
43.01.036, the department must submit a report of findings and recommendations from the stakeholder work group and contracted rate analysis to the appropriate committees of the legislature.
(4) For the purposes of this section, "child-placing agency" means an entity defined by RCW
74.15.020(1)(a) that contracts with the department of children, youth, and families.
(5) This section expires July 1, 2020.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect immediately.
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