EMERGENCY RULES
SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES
(Children's Administration)
Date of Adoption: May 20, 2003.
Purpose: The purpose of the proposed emergency rules for group receiving centers (GRC), chapter 388-140 WAC, is to establish licensing standards immediately for facilities providing out-of-home receiving or emergency care to children for up to thirty days. Licensing standards do not currently exist for GRCs. The emergency rules would provide protection for children placed in facilities in emergency situations. Currently, the one group receiving center in operation is licensed under standards that do not accurately or adequately address the program.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 74.15.030(2), 74.08.090.
Under RCW 34.05.350 the agency for good cause finds that state or federal law or federal rule or a federal deadline for state receipt of federal funds requires immediate adoption of a rule.
Reasons for this Finding: Children's Administration has licensed a facility as a group care program with several waivers as there are no current licensing standards for a group receiving center. After consulting with the assistant attorney general and representatives of the federal IV-E program, we have learned that the approval of waivers jeopardizes federal funds received by Children's Administration to support services to children. Children's Administration is working with stakeholders for the permanent adoption of rules appropriate to this type of facility, and the department has initiated a rule-making proceeding by filing a preproposal statement of inquiry as WSR 02-20-016. The client age range and other sections may be modified during the permanent rule-making hearing.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 125, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making:
New 0,
Amended 0,
Repealed 0;
Pilot Rule Making:
New 0,
Amended 0,
Repealed 0;
or Other Alternative Rule Making:
New 125,
Amended 0,
Repealed 0.
Effective Date of Rule:
Immediately.
May 20, 2003
Brian H. Lindgren, Manager
Rules and Policies Assistance Unit
Reviser's note: The material contained in this filing exceeded the page-count limitations of WAC 1-21-040 for appearance in this issue of the Register. It will appear in the 03-14 issue of the Register.