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. The list will be adjusted over the coming weeks.
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.
If you want to make your voice heard on the below legislation, you can sign up for our lobby days and other actions here. 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 about a bill (just be clear that you aren't speaking for DCYF when you do). WFSE's position (if any) on each bill is also listed.
HB 1028 - Addressing Child Exposure to Violence, MONITORING
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 1105 / SB 5433 - Exempting exclusive bargaining representatives for department of corrections employees from certain provisions related to coalition bargaining., SUPPORT
HB 1129 / SB 5121 - Concerning health plan coverage of fertility-related services., SUPPORT
HB 1159 - Concerning the crime of endangerment with a controlled substance., MONITORING
HB 1171 - Exempting attorney higher education employees from certain mandated reporting of child abuse and neglect.
HB 1177 / SB 5508 - Concerning the child welfare housing assistance program., CONCERNS
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 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
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.
HB 1272 / SB 5427 - Extending the program to address complex cases of children in crisis., MONITORING
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
HB 1459 / SB 5163 - Modernizing the child fatality statute., SUPPORT
HB 1472 / SB 5393 - Closing the Yakima Valley school and Rainier school., CONCERNS
HB 1509 - Concerning family reconciliation services., CONCERNS
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
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 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
SB 5237 - Concerning leaving a child unattended in a vehicle., MONITORING
SB 5488 - Strengthening the financial stability of persons in the care of the department of children, youth, and families., SUPPORT
SB 5625 - Designating the Pacific geoduck as the state clam., SUPPORT
Key:
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.
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.
WFSE's positions are current as of 01/30/2025. Bills were last added to the list on 02/20/2025.
