It’s week four of the 60-day legislative session in the Washington statehouse, which means policy crunch time in Olympia.

Lawmakers are facing deadlines this week to move bills out of policy committees and onto fiscal committees. February 16 is the last day to consider bills in their house of origin before they are sent to the opposite house for review.

Here is a brief summary of some of the bills that United Way of King County supports:

• HB 2687: Create a home visiting account

Summary: Creates a public account for home visiting funds in the Department of Early Learning meant to be matched with private dollars.  The public private partnership of funds would support services delivered in home to infants/toddlers and their parents at regularly scheduled times by trained home visitors.  Research has shown increased school readiness, decreased child abuse and neglect and improved health outcomes for parent and child.  In addition, home visiting saves taxpayers dollars through prevention of expensive remedial services and high school drop out.

• HB 3141: Support 12 month authorization for Working Connections, the Washington state subsidized child care program.

Summary: The focus of the bill is redesigning the delivery of TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families).  One component of the bill, changing the authorization for subsidized child care from the current “up to 6 months” (where it could be 3, 4, or 5 months), would create more stability for children and predictability for parents and care givers.  Working Connections provides child care support to working families with incomes less than 200% of poverty level.

• HB2905: Planning for the discontinuation of discharge of vulnerable populations from state institutions into homelessness

Summary: Requires the Department of Corrections, the Department of Social and Health Services, and regional support networks to plan for the release of persons who are or have been under their care or supervision, in order to reduce the likelihood of their homelessness.

• HB 2782: Security Lifeline

Summary: Renames General assistance unemployable, a program that provides a monthly cash grant and managed health care to people whose mental and physical disabilities prevent them from working, to Disability Lifeline. Keeps eligibility and benefits the same but tries to facilitate movement of people on GAU to federal disability or other public benefits. Creates a central web based portal that allows people to complete one application for a full range of public assistance benefits

In addition, there is currently a major donate around early learning.  Items of interest include: whether to include pre-K for 3 and 4 year olds in the definition of basic education (vetoed last session by the Governor), whether the focus of the state’s efforts should be on at-risk children or all 3 and 4 year olds, and what the focus will be on children under 3.

As part of our general advocacy efforts, United Way has submitted a number of letters of testimony signed by business and community leaders from King County.