Bill > HB2689

This bill modifies the Working Connections Child Care program to improve access to affordable, high-quality childcare and support the workforce. Key changes include simplifying eligibility for families receiving Basic Food benefits, ensuring that a child's citizenship status does not affect eligibility, and adjusting how income eligibility is determined. The bill also mandates increases in child care subsidy rates, aiming to reach the 85th percentile of market rates by July 1, 2026, and the 75th percentile by July 1, 2027, while requiring the use of a specific cost methodology to recommend rates that fully compensate providers. Additionally, it introduces new rules for how child care providers are paid for subsidized care, allowing for full or half-month payments based on a child's attendance and limiting payment rates to the region in which the provider is located, with a temporary provision for these payment rules expiring in July 2027.

Budget and Finance

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2689&Year=2025&Initiative=false