We can't keep doing more with less.
Every year, legislation is proposed that impacts our jobs and the populations we work with. Below is a list of some of the bills from the current session that are relevant to state employees, DCYF, or child safety and well-being. Hearing dates are included where possible, but check the legislature's website for the most up-to-date information.
HB stands for House Bill, SB stands for Senate Bill. Sometimes companion bills are proposed with the same text in both houses. Similar bills can also be proposed that have significant differences in wording or content that must be resolved before they can be passed into law. Official names or descriptions don't always consider the full context or impacts of a bill, and may be inaccurate or incomplete. A bill may sound great in theory, but if it doesn't include funding to hire the workers needed to offset the increase in workload, it may do nothing except make our jobs more stressful and complicated. Find more information here and here.
Check our Campaigns and Actions page for some of the most important approaching hearings on these bills and for other ways to make your voice heard. You can also get updates on the session and learn more about some of WFSE's priorities using this link.
The links below direct to the legislature's website, where you can find a bill's status, its text, and a report summarizing what the bill might do. You can also provide comments or sign up to testify on a bill (see our Campaigns and Actions page for instructions). WFSE's position (if any) on each bill is also listed below (see the key at the bottom of this page).
HB 1028 - Addressing Child Exposure to Violence, MONITORING
HEARING on 3/17.
HB 1105 / SB 5433 - Exempting exclusive bargaining representatives for department of corrections employees from certain provisions related to coalition bargaining., SUPPORT
This bill would create a separate contract for WFSE Community Corrections staff apart from the General Government contract, which they are currently a part of. This change would save time and simplify the process of bargaining, and we think lead to better outcomes for our DOC members.
HB 1129 / SB 5121 - Concerning health plan coverage of fertility-related services., SUPPORT
HB 1171 - Exempting attorney higher education employees from certain mandated reporting of child abuse and neglect.
HEARING on 3/21.
HB 1177 / SB 5508 - Concerning the child welfare housing assistance program., CONCERNS
HB 1217 / SB 5222 - Improving housing stability for tenants subject to the residential landlord-tenant act and the manufactured/mobile home landlord-tenant act by limiting rent and fee increases, requiring notice of rent and fee increases, limiting fees and deposits, establishing a landlord resource center and associated services, authorizing tenant lease termination, creating parity between lease types, and providing for attorney general enforcement., SUPPORT
HEARING for house bill on 3/19.
HB 1257 / SB 5253 - Extending special education services to students with disabilities until the end of the school year in which the student turns 22.
HEARING for senate bill on 3/18.
HB 1272 / SB 5427 - Extending the program to address complex cases of children in crisis., MONITORING
HB 1459 / SB 5163 - Modernizing the child fatality statute., SUPPORT
HB 1472 / SB 5393 - Closing the Yakima Valley school and Rainier school., OPPOSE
This bill will close half of the residential beds in this state for those will intellectual disabilities. This is BAD policy that will result in higher costs for the state AND bad outcomes for the clients. Despite what the sponsors of this bill may try to say, there is NOT an alternative living situation for these folks that can provide the complex medical and behavioral care they need.
HB 1509 - Concerning family reconciliation services., OPPOSE
This bill would outsource FRS to community organizations. DCYF's plan is to use this bill to cut ~9 FTEs, making DCYF's budget look better, but overall costing the state much more. FRS currently costs $5 million per year; community based FRS would cost $30 million per year. FRS workers often have hybrid positions, meaning they also work other programs such as CFWS or FVS. This bill is a slap in the face to child welfare workers - if we're going to spend $25 million, we should use it to address our current understaffing, not to increase our workloads and cut our coworkers' jobs.
HB 1544 - Improving the risk assessment process used when investigating alleged child abuse and neglect referrals., SUPPORT
HB 1622 / SB 5422 - Allowing bargaining over matters related to the use of artificial intelligence., SUPPORT
This bill would allow us to bargain over the implementation of AI with our employer. Not only is this critical to mitigate the impacts of AI on our jobs, but we are also the experts on the work we do and should be at the table to give voice to the consequences that could so easily be (and so often are) overlooked.
HB 1917 - Concerning management of individuals who are placed in juvenile rehabilitation institutions., SUPPORT
SB 5071 - Updating the endangerment with a controlled substance statute., MONITORING
SB 5149 - Expanding the early childhood court program., CONCERNS
SB 5169 - Concerning testimony of children., MONITORING
SB 5199 - Providing compensation to members of the department of children, youth, and families oversight board with direct lived experience., MONITORING
HEARING on 3/18.
SB 5478 - Concerning benefits authorized to be offered by the public employees' benefits board., SUPPORT
If enacted, this bill will enhance PEBB benefits with a focus on improving benefits for PEBB subscribers and dependents on PEBB plans.
HEARING on 3/20.
SB 5488 - Strengthening the financial stability of persons in the care of the department of children, youth, and families., SUPPORT
SB 5792 - Concerning temporary compensation reductions for state government employees during the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium., OPPOSE
Furloughs (leave without pay) or cuts pay for state employees.
SB 5793 - Concerning employer contributions and incentives for public and school employee health benefit plans., OPPOSE
Prevents us from negotiating our contribution to our health insurance. This will increase how much we pay for healthcare.
Bills (Probably) Dead in Committee:
HB 1033 - Authorizing local licensing and regulation of child care providers., CONCERNS
HB 1087 - Expanding the crime of endangerment with a controlled substance to include fentanyl and other high-potency synthetic opioids., MONITORING
HB 1092 - Maintaining the safety of children., CONCERNS
HB 1159 - Concerning the crime of endangerment with a controlled substance., MONITORING
HB 1182 / SB 5379 - Granting interest arbitration to certain parks and recreation commission employees., SUPPORT
HB 1193 - Increasing protections for child welfare workers., SUPPORT
HB 1286 - Concerning the crime of endangerment with a controlled substance., CONCERNS
HB 1316 - Expanding the scope of programs for postsecondary students experiencing homelessness and former foster youth., MONITORING
HB 1363 - Modifying licensing requirements for child care and early learning providers., MONITORING
HB 1429 / SB 5082 - Creating a housing assistance program for youth enrolled in extended foster care., CONCERNS
This bill would create a housing assistance program for youth enrolled in extended foster care (EFC). Housing our youth is important. Creating a large and expensive new housing program without actually getting input from workers, providing intensive ongoing housing case management, or making any considerations around housing stability for a high needs population, is going to significantly increase workloads without having the needed results. If a housing program is going to be created, it should be done correctly - otherwise the money is best spent on funding existing programs.
HB 1908 - Protecting developmentally disabled individuals and their families by maintaining the operation of existing state facilities with underutilized capacity and allowing new residents., SUPPORT
HB 1968 - Concerning endangerment with a controlled substance.
SB 5237 - Concerning leaving a child unattended in a vehicle., MONITORING
SB 5625 - Designating the Pacific geoduck as the state clam., SUPPORT
Key:
Strikethrough - This bill has been slain. If it has a companion bill that moved forward or a really determined legislative advocate, it may still be enacted.
SUPPORT - WFSE supports this bill overall.
MONITORING - WFSE is watching this bill due to relevance, but has not taken a position.
CONCERNS - WFSE has concerns with at least a significant portion of this bill, and/or with its impact on workload.
OPPOSE - WFSE opposes passage of this bill.
If none of these are listed for a bill, it is likely relevant, but we may not have WFSE's official position on it yet.
This list was last updated 03/16/2025. It may or may not be 100% accurate.
