OUR 2024 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
The Building Blocks of Our Agenda
At Children’s Alliance, we see a future in which all of Washington's children have an abundance of what they need to grow up to be the people they dream of becoming. To make this vision a reality and combat harms created by systemic racism, we work with those most negatively impacted by current laws to ensure that our state prioritizes progressive policy changes in the areas of early learning, health care, and economic justice.
We work to advance legislation that aligns with our policy priorities, to ensure that legislation is implemented as intended, and to combat efforts to reverse progress that has already been made. To do this, our advocacy involves a combination of the following actions:
Leading: We work directly with a legislative sponsor to craft and draft proposed legislation and function as the lead stakeholder for the issue.
Tier 1 support: We activate every available tool of advocacy we have to support and help move policy through the legislative process. This includes grassroots organizing, engaging in public testimony, and working with stakeholders to educate lawmakers about the issue and our proposed solutions.
Tier 2 support: We support the efforts of other advocacy groups by endorsing policy initiatives or bills by signing in at bill hearings and signing on to letters of support directed to elected officials and other key decision-makers.
Monitoring: We monitor initiatives or bills throughout the legislative process and once they have been enacted into law and are in the administrative/implementation phase. Monitoring generally involves attending committee hearings, tracking the progress of bills, and assuring that implementation follows the Legislature’s original intent.
The sections that follow highlight our priorities and advocacy plans for the 2024 legislative session.
Early Learning and Child Care Initiatives We Support
Investing $1.75 million annually to expand access to Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC), addressing the 100+ IECMHC programs on the waitlist and other current needs. Our advocacy plan: Tier 1 support
Providing the Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) subsidy to all child care staff regardless of whether they work around their own children or reside in a border state. Our advocacy plan: Tier 1 support
Increasing Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) Rates as outlined in the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) decision package. Our advocacy plan: Tier 1 support
Eliminating licensing fees for child care center providers. Our advocacy plan: Tier 1 support
Directing DCYF to work with providers in connection to House Bill 2556 to address inequities in existing education requirements and educational equivalents and extend deadlines for completion. Our advocacy plan: Monitor
Safeguarding the Transition to Kindergarten program by ensuring that rulemaking follows legislative intent. Our advocacy plan: Monitor
We also broadly support the following progressive proposals:
Funding stipends to retain and support experts with lived experience who serve on advisory bodies
Addressing the 1% levy growth limit
Paying providers for full months of Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) services
Banning isolation and mechanical and chemical restraints on children
Increasing non-standard hour bonuses to $500
Increasing the infant rate enhancement to $500
Closing loopholes in the capital gains tax
Expanding the definition of “family” under the paid sick leave law to align with the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) definition
Increasing dedicated funding for rural communities
Supporting health & safety of agency staff
Supporting WCCC eligibility for all providers
Increasing coordination between health and early childhood systems
Increasing support and access to care in child care deserts
Aligning eligibility criteria across key programs to exclude non-taxed income from income eligibility decisions
Allowing eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program / Basic Food to mean automatic eligibility for ECEAP and Early ECEAP
Improving compensation and benefits packages for providers and their families
Health Equity Initiatives We Support
Improving youth behavioral health services as recommended by the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group to address the increased demand for intervention and crisis services and the decreased capacity in service delivery as a result of provider and facility shortages. Our advocacy plan: Tier 1 support
Eliminating child marriage in Washington by amending current state law that allows marriages involving minors if certain conditions are met. (House Bill 1455/Senate Bill 5695) Our advocacy plan: Tier 1 support
Ensuring universal free school meals by expanding current state law to provide free school breakfast and lunch to all students across all public schools. Our advocacy plan: Tier 1 support
Increasing access to oral health care by ensuring that the 2023 dental therapy expansion is implemented according to legislative intent. Our advocacy plan: Monitor
Protecting minors from female genital cutting (FGC) by ensuring that implementation of the 2023 FGC law, which was passed thanks to the leadership of survivors, is effective and follows the legislative intent. Our advocacy plan: Monitor
Progressive Revenue and Economic Justice Initiatives We Support
Establishing a fairer state tax system by charging a 1% tax on household wealth over $250 million resulting solely from ownership of financial property like stocks and bonds. (House Bill 1473/Senate Bill 5486) Our advocacy plan: Tier 1 support
Creating a statewide pilot program for guaranteed basic income to help those experiencing major life transitions or high economic instability and reduce economic inequality. (House Bill 1405) Our advocacy plan: Tier 1 support
Creating a baby bonds program that would help address barriers to wealth accumulation by allowing the state to invest money on behalf of kids from families with low incomes that the kids could use as adults toward postsecondary education, homeownership, and entrepreneurship. (House Bill 1094/Senate Bill 5125) Our advocacy plan: Monitor
Protecting consumers with low incomes against corporate greed by closing a loophole in state law that allows corporations to profit from unused money on gift cards and corporate rewards apps. Our advocacy plan: Tier 2 support
Defending the capital gains tax by combatting continued efforts by greedy bad actors to keep the wealthiest few from paying their fair share. Our advocacy plan: Tier 1 support
Safeguarding progress made through the Working Families Tax Credit by ensuring that implementation allows for continued success of the program. Our advocacy plan: Monitor
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