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SB 6206 - First responders/child care

Source

Section 1

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    1. Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the department shall establish a pilot program to incentivize and make child care more accessible to first responders.

    2. The department must award grants with funds appropriated to local jurisdictions to provide incentive payments to licensed or certified child care providers who care for children of first responders. Incentive payments must be prioritized for licensed or certified child care providers that offer child care during nonstandard work hours, on short notice, and when a child has an illness.

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    1. The department must select at least four local jurisdictions, one in each of the north and south regions of Washington state and on each side of the Cascade mountains to receive state grants.

    2. Selected local jurisdictions must be able to provide a plan of how they can equally match state grants for incentive payments with nonstate resources. The plan may include future nonstate resources, including revenue collected under RCW 82.14.345.

  3. By November 1, 2029, the department shall submit a report, in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, to the governor and appropriate committees of the legislature that includes the outcomes of this pilot program. At a minimum, the report must describe the impact on recruitment of personnel, personnel retention, and discernable job satisfaction, resulting from program benefits and accessibility.

  4. For the purposes of this section the following definitions apply:

    1. "First responders" means firefighters, law enforcement officers, public safety telecommunicators, emergency medical personnel, as licensed or certificated by this state, and human service professionals that respond to emergency situations involving behavioral health crises and people experiencing complex medical needs including, but not limited to, social workers, behavioral health clinicians, advanced practice registered nurses, registered nurses, community health workers, and peer support specialists; and

    2. "Licensed or certified child care providers" means child care centers or family home providers as defined in RCW 43.216.010.

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