S-1449.1

SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5599

BySenate Human Services (originally sponsored by Senators Liias, C. Wilson, Dhingra, Lovelett, Nguyen, and Randall)

AN ACT Relating to supporting youth and young adults seeking protected health care services; amending RCW 13.32A.082 and 74.15.020; and creating a new section.

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

Sec. 2. RCW 13.32A.082 and 2013 c 4 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, any person, unlicensed youth shelter, or runaway and homeless youth program that, without legal authorization, provides shelter to a minor and that knows at the time of providing the shelter that the minor is away from a lawfully prescribed residence or home without parental permission, shall promptly report the location of the child to the parent, the law enforcement agency of the jurisdiction in which the person lives, or the department.

(b)(i) If a licensed overnight youth shelter, or another licensed organization with a stated mission to provide services to homeless or runaway youth and their families, shelters a child and knows at the time of providing the shelter that the child is away from a lawfully prescribed residence or home without parental permission, it must contact the youth's parent within seventy-two hours, but preferably within twenty-four hours, following the time that the youth is admitted to the shelter or other licensed organization's program. The notification must include the whereabouts of the youth, a description of the youth's physical and emotional condition, and the circumstances surrounding the youth's contact with the shelter or organization. If there are compelling reasons not to notify the parent, the shelter or organization must instead notify the department.

(ii) At least once every eight hours after learning that a youth receiving services or shelter under this section is away from home without permission, the shelter or organization staff must consult the information that the Washington state patrol makes publicly available under RCW 43.43.510(2). If the youth is publicly listed as missing, the shelter or organization must immediately notify the department of its contact with the youth listed as missing. The notification must include a description of the minor's physical and emotional condition and the circumstances surrounding the youth's contact with the shelter or organization.

(c) Reports required under this section may be made by telephone or any other reasonable means.

(2) Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section.

(a) "Shelter" means the person's home or any structure over which the person has any control.

(b) "Promptly report" means to report within eight hours after the person has knowledge that the minor is away from a lawfully prescribed residence or home without parental permission.

(c) "Compelling reasons" include, but are not limited to((, circumstances)):

(i) Circumstances that indicate that notifying the parent or legal guardian will subject the minor to abuse or neglect as defined in RCW 26.44.020; or

(d) "Protected health care services" has the same meaning as provided in chapter . . ., Laws of 2023(Senate Bill No. 5489).

(3) When the department receives a report under subsection (1) of this section, it shall make a good faith attempt to notify the parent that a report has been received and offer services designed to resolve the conflict and accomplish a reunification of the family.

(4) Nothing in this section prohibits any person, unlicensed youth shelter, or runaway and homeless youth program from immediately reporting the identity and location of any minor who is away from a lawfully prescribed residence or home without parental permission more promptly than required under this section.

Sec. 3. RCW 74.15.020 and 2021 c 176 s 5239 are each amended to read as follows:

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter and RCW 74.13.031 unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1) "Agency" means any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, or facility which receives children, expectant mothers, or persons with developmental disabilities for control, care, or maintenance outside their own homes, or which places, arranges the placement of, or assists in the placement of children, expectant mothers, or persons with developmental disabilities for foster care or placement of children for adoption, and shall include the following irrespective of whether there is compensation to the agency or to the children, expectant mothers, or persons with developmental disabilities for services rendered:

(a) "Child-placing agency" means an agency which places a child or children for temporary care, continued care, or for adoption;

(b) "Community facility" means a group care facility operated for the care of juveniles committed to the department under RCW 13.40.185. A county detention facility that houses juveniles committed to the department under RCW 13.40.185 pursuant to a contract with the department is not a community facility;

(c) "Crisis residential center" means an agency which is a temporary protective residential facility operated to perform the duties specified in chapter 13.32A RCW, in the manner provided in RCW 43.185C.295 through 43.185C.310;

(d) "Emergency respite center" is an agency that may be commonly known as a crisis nursery, that provides emergency and crisis care for up to seventy-two hours to children who have been admitted by their parents or guardians to prevent abuse or neglect. Emergency respite centers may operate for up to twenty-four hours a day, and for up to seven days a week. Emergency respite centers may provide care for children ages birth through seventeen, and for persons eighteen through twenty with developmental disabilities who are admitted with a sibling or siblings through age seventeen. Emergency respite centers may not substitute for crisis residential centers or HOPE centers, or any other services defined under this section, and may not substitute for services which are required under chapter 13.32A or 13.34 RCW;

(e) "Foster family home" means an agency which regularly provides care on a twenty-four hour basis to one or more children, expectant mothers, or persons with developmental disabilities in the family abode of the person or persons under whose direct care and supervision the child, expectant mother, or person with a developmental disability is placed;

(f) "Group-care facility" means an agency, other than a foster family home, which is maintained and operated for the care of a group of children on a twenty-four hour basis. "Group care facility" includes but is not limited to:

(i) Qualified residential treatment programs as defined in RCW 13.34.030;

(ii) Facilities specializing in providing prenatal, postpartum, or parenting supports for youth; and

(iii) Facilities providing high quality residential care and supportive services to children who are, or who are at risk of becoming, victims of sex trafficking;

(g) "HOPE center" means an agency licensed by the secretary to provide temporary residential placement and other services to street youth. A street youth may remain in a HOPE center for thirty days while services are arranged and permanent placement is coordinated. No street youth may stay longer than thirty days unless approved by the department and any additional days approved by the department must be based on the unavailability of a long-term placement option. A street youth whose parent wants him or her returned to home may remain in a HOPE center until his or her parent arranges return of the youth, not longer. All other street youth must have court approval under chapter 13.34 or 13.32A RCW to remain in a HOPE center up to thirty days;

(h) "Maternity service" means an agency which provides or arranges for care or services to expectant mothers, before or during confinement, or which provides care as needed to mothers and their infants after confinement;

(i) "Resource and assessment center" means an agency that provides short-term emergency and crisis care for a period up to seventy-two hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays to children who have been removed from their parent's or guardian's care by child protective services or law enforcement;

(j) "Responsible living skills program" means an agency licensed by the secretary that provides residential and transitional living services to persons ages sixteen to eighteen who are dependent under chapter 13.34 RCW and who have been unable to live in his or her legally authorized residence and, as a result, the minor lived outdoors or in another unsafe location not intended for occupancy by the minor. Dependent minors ages fourteen and fifteen may be eligible if no other placement alternative is available and the department approves the placement;

(k) "Service provider" means the entity that operates a community facility.

(2) "Agency" shall not include the following:

(a) Persons related to the child, expectant mother, or person with developmental disability in the following ways:

(i) Any blood relative, including those of half-blood, and including first cousins, second cousins, nephews or nieces, and persons of preceding generations as denoted by prefixes of grand, great, or great-great;

(ii) Stepfather, stepmother, stepbrother, and stepsister;

(iii) A person who legally adopts a child or the child's parent as well as the natural and other legally adopted children of such persons, and other relatives of the adoptive parents in accordance with state law;

(iv) Spouses of any persons named in (a)(i), (ii), or (iii) of this subsection (2), even after the marriage is terminated;

(v) Relatives, as named in (a)(i), (ii), (iii), or (iv) of this subsection (2), of any half sibling of the child; or

(vi) Extended family members, as defined by the law or custom of the Indian child's tribe or, in the absence of such law or custom, a person who has reached the age of eighteen and who is the Indian child's grandparent, aunt or uncle, brother or sister, brother-in-law or sister-in-law, niece or nephew, first or second cousin, or stepparent who provides care in the family abode on a twenty-four-hour basis to an Indian child as defined in 25 U.S.C. Sec. 1903(4);

(b) Persons who are legal guardians of the child, expectant mother, or persons with developmental disabilities;

(c) Persons who care for a neighbor's or friend's child or children, with or without compensation, where the parent and person providing care on a twenty-four-hour basis have agreed to the placement in writing and the state is not providing any payment for the care;

(d) A person, partnership, corporation, or other entity that provides placement or similar services to exchange students or international student exchange visitors or persons who have the care of an exchange student in their home;

(e) A person, partnership, corporation, or other entity that provides placement or similar services to international children who have entered the country by obtaining visas that meet the criteria for medical care as established by the United States citizenship and immigration services, or persons who have the care of such an international child in their home;

(f) Schools, including boarding schools, which are engaged primarily in education, operate on a definite school year schedule, follow a stated academic curriculum, accept only school-age children and do not accept custody of children;

(g) Hospitals licensed pursuant to chapter 70.41 RCW when performing functions defined in chapter 70.41 RCW, nursing homes licensed under chapter 18.51 RCW and assisted living facilities licensed under chapter 18.20 RCW;

(h) Licensed physicians or lawyers;

(i) Facilities approved and certified under chapter 71A.22 RCW;

(j) Any agency having been in operation in this state ten years prior to June 8, 1967, and not seeking or accepting moneys or assistance from any state or federal agency, and is supported in part by an endowment or trust fund;

(k) Persons who have a child in their home for purposes of adoption, if the child was placed in such home by a licensed child-placing agency, an authorized public or tribal agency or court or if a replacement report has been filed under chapter 26.33 RCW and the placement has been approved by the court;

(l) An agency operated by any unit of local, state, or federal government or an agency licensed by an Indian tribe pursuant to RCW 74.15.190;

(m) A maximum or medium security program for juvenile offenders operated by or under contract with the department;

(n) An agency located on a federal military reservation, except where the military authorities request that such agency be subject to the licensing requirements of this chapter;

(o)(i) A host home program, and host home, operated by a tax exempt organization for youth not in the care of or receiving services from the department, if that program: (A) Recruits and screens potential homes in the program, including performing background checks on individuals over the age of eighteen residing in the home through the Washington state patrol or equivalent law enforcement agency and performing physical inspections of the home; (B) screens and provides case management services to youth in the program; (C) obtains a notarized permission slip or limited power of attorney from the parent or legal guardian of the youth authorizing the youth to participate in the program and the authorization is updated every six months when a youth remains in a host home longer than six months, unless there is a compelling reason to not contact the parent or guardian; (D) obtains insurance for the program through an insurance provider authorized under Title 48 RCW; (E) provides mandatory reporter and confidentiality training; and (F) registers with the secretary of state under RCW 74.15.315.

(ii) For purposes of this section, ((a "host))the following definitions apply:

(A) "Host home" ((is))means a private home that volunteers to host youth in need of temporary placement that is associated with a host home program.

(((iii) For purposes of this section, a "host))(B) "Host home program" is a program that provides support to individual host homes and meets the requirements of (o)(i) of this subsection.

(((iv)))(C) "Compelling reason" means the youth is in the host home or seeking placement in a host home while seeking or receiving protected health care services.

(iii) Any host home program that receives local, state, or government funding shall report the following information to the office of homeless youth prevention and protection programs annually by December 1st of each year: The number of children the program served, why the child was placed with a host home, and where the child went after leaving the host home, including but not limited to returning to the parents, running away, reaching the age of majority, or becoming a dependent of the state;

(p) Receiving centers as defined in RCW 7.68.380.

(3) "Department" means the department of children, youth, and families.

(4) "Juvenile" means a person under the age of twenty-one who has been sentenced to a term of confinement under the supervision of the department under RCW 13.40.185.

(5) "Performance-based contracts" or "contracting" means the structuring of all aspects of the procurement of services around the purpose of the work to be performed and the desired results with the contract requirements set forth in clear, specific, and objective terms with measurable outcomes. Contracts may also include provisions that link the performance of the contractor to the level and timing of the reimbursement.

(6) "Probationary license" means a license issued as a disciplinary measure to an agency that has previously been issued a full license but is out of compliance with licensing standards.

(7) "Requirement" means any rule, regulation, or standard of care to be maintained by an agency.

(8) "Secretary" means the secretary of the department.

(9) "Street youth" means a person under the age of eighteen who lives outdoors or in another unsafe location not intended for occupancy by the minor and who is not residing with his or her parent or at his or her legally authorized residence.

(10) "Transitional living services" means at a minimum, to the extent funds are available, the following:

(a) Educational services, including basic literacy and computational skills training, either in local alternative or public high schools or in a high school equivalency program that leads to obtaining a high school equivalency degree;

(b) Assistance and counseling related to obtaining vocational training or higher education, job readiness, job search assistance, and placement programs;

(c) Counseling and instruction in life skills such as money management, home management, consumer skills, parenting, health care, access to community resources, and transportation and housing options;

(d) Individual and group counseling; and

(e) Establishing networks with federal agencies and state and local organizations such as the United States department of labor, employment and training administration programs including the workforce innovation and opportunity act which administers private industry councils and the job corps; vocational rehabilitation; and volunteer programs.

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