Children benefit pilot prg.

AN ACT Relating to creating a families with children benefit 1
pilot program; amending RCW 74.04.005, 43.216.802, 26.19.071, and 2
70.170.060; reenacting and amending RCW 10.101.010; adding a new 3
section to chapter 43.216 RCW; adding new sections to chapter 43.330 4
RCW; and creating a new section. 5
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:6
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that, in 2021, 7
the United States implemented a universal child benefit for the first 8
time in its history. Evidence from that period demonstrates that the 9
benefit reduced child poverty by approximately 46 percent within one 10
year and produced positive outcomes related to income inequality and 11
childhood well-being across demographic groups. The legislature 12
further finds that the discontinuation of this universal child 13
benefit after one year resulted in a sharp and immediate increase in 14
child poverty.15
(2) The legislature recognizes the substantial benefits that a 16
universal child benefit can provide to children and families, 17
including improvements in physical health and immune system strength, 18
increased life satisfaction and overall happiness, greater resilience 19
to stress and economic instability, improved capacity for parental 20
S-3828.2
SENATE BILL 6212
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Senators Nobles, Alvarado, Cortes, Hunt, Kauffman, Lovelett,
Saldaña, Trudeau, Valdez, and C. Wilson
Read first time 01/19/26. Referred to Committee on Human Services.
p. 1 SB 6212
work performance and productivity, and enhanced sense of stability, 1
purpose, and well-being within households. 2
(3) Accordingly, the legislature intends to evaluate the 3
feasibility and impacts of a state-funded universal child benefit 4
through the establishment of a pilot program in Washington state. The 5
pilot program is intended to assess the effects of providing a 6
universal child benefit to families by randomly selecting 1,000 7
families whose children are eligible for free or reduced-price school 8
meals to receive the benefit. 9
(4) The legislature intends for the department of commerce to 10
administer the pilot program and to report to the legislature on its 11
outcomes. The report shall include, but not be limited to, an 12
analysis of changes in participating families' financial stability 13
and net worth following receipt of the benefit, observed impacts on 14
child and family well-being, and recommendations regarding the 15
potential expansion or permanent implementation of a universal child 16
benefit in Washington state. 17
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The definitions in this section apply 18
throughout this section and sections 3 through 5 and 12 of this act 19
unless the context clearly requires otherwise.20
(1) "Department" means the department of commerce.21
(2) "Pilot" or "pilot program" means the families with children 22
benefit pilot program created under section 3 of this act.23
(3)(a) "Resident" means a person who currently lives in 24
Washington and: 25
(i) Intends to reside in the state, including persons without a 26
fixed address; 27
(ii) Entered the state looking for a job; or 28
(iii) Entered the state with a job commitment.29
(b) A person does not need to live in the state for a specific 30
period of time prior to meeting the requirements in this subsection 31
before being considered a resident. 32
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) The families with children benefit 33
pilot program is created within in the department.34
(2) No later than January 1, 2027, the department shall begin 35
providing 24 monthly payments of $300 per month per child in a 36
participant's family where the participant: 37
(a) Is a resident of Washington state; 38
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(b) Is at least 18 years of age or an emancipated minor;1
(c) Has at least one school-aged child who qualifies for the 2
federal free or reduced-price lunch program; and 3
(d) Is selected for participation in the pilot program.4
(3) Payment options must be available to both banked and unbanked 5
families. 6
(4) No more than 1,000 eligible households may be selected for 7
the pilot program. 8
(5) Qualified applicants in excess of the 1,000-household limit 9
may serve in a control group. Control group households may not exceed 10
1,200 households and shall receive a $20 cash benefit per month for 11
24 months starting on January 1, 2027. 12
(6) Qualified and eligible participants must represent 13
geographically diverse areas of the state including eastern and 14
western Washington, as well as urban, suburban, rural, and subrural 15
areas of the state to the extent feasible. 16
(7) The department shall establish a simple and low-barrier 17
application process. The application must be available in multiple 18
languages and formats, including paper, online, and in-person 19
assistance. 20
(8) The department may not exclude participation in the pilot 21
program due to, or request information regarding, a person's 22
immigration status, citizenship status, or place of birth.23
(9) The department may contract with a third-party vendor to 24
process and approve applications and provide all aspects of 25
operations, including eligibility determination, enrollment, and cash 26
dispersion. 27
(10) The pilot program shall offer participants information 28
regarding how any other public benefits may be impacted by the 29
receipt of funds from the pilot program. 30
(11) The department may receive gifts, grants, or endowments from 31
public or private sources that are made from time to time, for the 32
use and benefit of the pilot program, and may spend gifts, grants, or 33
endowments or income from the public or private sources according to 34
their terms. 35
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. (1)(a) The department must collect data 36
directly from participants in the pilot program and control group. 37
Data collected may include the following information: Age, gender, 38
race, ethnicity, geographic location, household composition, health, 39
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education, caregiving, work participation, income, assets, and 1
household spending. 2
(b) The department may not collect data or request information or 3
proof regarding a person's immigration status, citizenship status, or 4
place of birth. 5
(c) Participants, including those in the control group, shall be 6
asked to answer questions regarding how their lives changed or did 7
not change based on the pilot program benefit received.8
(d) Participants shall have access to any of their individual 9
data collected. Directly collected data shall be used for program 10
monitoring and evaluation purposes by the department and any 11
contracted evaluator entities. Directly collected data must be 12
anonymized before sharing with any additional noncontracted entities 13
unless the participant consents to their identity being shared.14
(2) By December 1, 2029, and in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, 15
the department shall submit a report to the legislature regarding the 16
pilot program and based on its findings, make a recommendation as to 17
whether a statewide families with children benefit pilot program 18
should be implemented, including the appropriate amount of the 19
benefit and length of assistance to be provided. The report shall 20
include: 21
(a) The number of households participating in the pilot, 22
including the total number of participants; 23
(b) Geographic information regarding the households participating 24
in the pilot program; 25
(c) Whether the participating households saw their income 26
increase beyond the benefit amount received; 27
(d) The successes and challenges of the pilot program's 28
administration during the pilot program; and 29
(e) Any other information the department deems relevant.30
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. As allowable by federal and state law, 31
state agencies shall minimize, to the greatest extent possible, the 32
impact of cash assistance provided under the pilot program on public 33
assistance eligibility and benefit amounts including, but not limited 34
to:35
(1) Other cash assistance programs, including the temporary 36
assistance for needy families program, the state family assistance 37
program, and the refugee cash assistance program; 38
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(2) Food assistance programs, including the basic food program; 1
the federal free and reduced-price lunch program; the women, infants, 2
and children program; and the food distribution program on Indian 3
reservations; 4
(3) Child care subsidies, including the working connections child 5
care program; the early childhood education and assistance program; 6
and head start and tribal head start programs; 7
(4) Disability benefits; 8
(5) Medical assistance programs, including medicaid and 9
eligibility for hospital charity care; and 10
(6) Legal assistance programs, including indigent defense 11
services, as provided for in chapter 10.101 RCW. 12
Sec. 6. RCW 74.04.005 and 2025 c 408 s 4 are each amended to 13
read as follows: 14
For the purposes of this title, unless the context indicates 15
otherwise, the following definitions shall apply: 16
(1) "Aged, blind, or disabled assistance program" means the 17
program established under RCW 74.62.030. 18
(2) "Applicant" means any person who has made a request, or on 19
behalf of whom a request has been made, to any county or local office 20
for assistance. 21
(3) "Authority" means the health care authority.22
(4) "County or local office" means the administrative office for 23
one or more counties or designated service areas. 24
(5) "Department" means the department of social and health 25
services. 26
(6) "Director" means the director of the health care authority.27
(7) "Essential needs and housing support program" means the 28
program established in RCW 43.185C.220. 29
(8) "Federal aid assistance" means the specific categories of 30
assistance for which provision is made in any federal law existing or 31
hereafter passed by which payments are made from the federal 32
government to the state in aid or in respect to payment by the state 33
for public assistance rendered to any category of needy persons for 34
which provision for federal funds or aid may from time to time be 35
made, or a federally administered needs-based program.36
(9) "Income" means: 37
(a) All appreciable gains in real or personal property (cash or 38
kind) or other assets, which are received by or become available for 39
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use and enjoyment by an applicant or recipient during the month of 1
application or after applying for or receiving public assistance. The 2
department may by rule and regulation exempt income received by an 3
applicant for or recipient of public assistance which can be used by 4
him or her to decrease his or her need for public assistance or to 5
aid in rehabilitating him or her or his or her dependents, but such 6
exemption shall not, unless otherwise provided in this title, exceed 7
the exemptions of resources granted under this chapter to an 8
applicant for public assistance. In addition, for cash assistance the 9
department may disregard income pursuant to RCW 74.08A.230 and 10
74.12.350. Any cash assistance a person receives from the families 11
with children benefit pilot program as provided for in section 3 of 12
this act or any guaranteed basic income program operated by a 13
government or private entity may not be considered in determining a 14
person's initial or ongoing eligibility for public assistance.15
(b) If, under applicable federal requirements, the state has the 16
option of considering property in the form of lump sum compensatory 17
awards or related settlements received by an applicant or recipient 18
as income or as a resource, the department shall consider such 19
property to be a resource. 20
(10) "Need" means the difference between the applicant's or 21
recipient's standards of assistance for himself or herself and the 22
dependent members of his or her family, as measured by the standards 23
of the department, and value of all nonexempt resources and nonexempt 24
income received by or available to the applicant or recipient and the 25
dependent members of his or her family. 26
(11) "Public assistance" or "assistance" means public aid to 27
persons in need thereof for any cause, including services, medical 28
care, assistance grants, disbursing orders, work relief, benefits 29
under RCW 74.62.030 and 43.185C.220, and federal aid assistance.30
(12) "Recipient" means any person receiving assistance and in 31
addition those dependents whose needs are included in the recipient's 32
assistance. 33
(13) "Resource" means any asset, tangible or intangible, owned by 34
or available to the applicant at the time of application, which can 35
be applied toward meeting the applicant's need, either directly or by 36
conversion into money or its equivalent. The department may by rule 37
designate resources that an applicant may retain and not be 38
ineligible for public assistance because of such resources. Exempt 39
resources shall include, but are not limited to: 40
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(a) A home that an applicant, recipient, or their dependents is 1
living in, including the surrounding property; 2
(b) Household furnishings and personal effects;3
(c) One motor vehicle, other than a motor home, that is used and 4
useful; 5
(d) A motor vehicle necessary to transport a household member 6
with a physical disability. This exclusion is limited to one vehicle 7
per person with a physical disability; 8
(e) Retirement funds, pension plans, and retirement accounts;9
(f) All other resources, including any excess of values exempted, 10
not to exceed $12,000 or other limit as set by the department, to be 11
consistent with limitations on resources and exemptions necessary for 12
federal aid assistance; 13
(g) Applicants for or recipients of benefits under RCW 74.62.030 14
and referrals under RCW 74.04.805 shall have their eligibility based 15
on resource limitations consistent with the temporary assistance for 16
needy families program rules adopted by the department; and17
(h) If an applicant for or recipient of public assistance 18
possesses property and belongings in excess of the ceiling value, 19
such value shall be used in determining the need of the applicant or 20
recipient, except that: (i) The department may exempt resources or 21
income when the income and resources are determined necessary to the 22
applicant's or recipient's restoration to independence, to decrease 23
the need for public assistance, or to aid in rehabilitating the 24
applicant or recipient or a dependent of the applicant or recipient; 25
and (ii) the department may provide grant assistance for a period not 26
to exceed nine months from the date the agreement is signed pursuant 27
to this section to persons who are otherwise ineligible because of 28
excess real property owned by such persons when they are making a 29
good faith effort to dispose of that property if: 30
(A) The applicant or recipient signs an agreement to repay the 31
lesser of the amount of aid received or the net proceeds of such 32
sale; 33
(B) If the owner of the excess property ceases to make good faith 34
efforts to sell the property, the entire amount of assistance may 35
become an overpayment and a debt due the state and may be recovered 36
pursuant to RCW 43.20B.630; 37
(C) Applicants and recipients are advised of their right to a 38
fair hearing and afforded the opportunity to challenge a decision 39
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that good faith efforts to sell have ceased, prior to assessment of 1
an overpayment under this section; and 2
(D) At the time assistance is authorized, the department files a 3
lien without a sum certain on the specific property.4
(14) "Secretary" means the secretary of social and health 5
services. 6
(15) "Standards of assistance" means the level of income required 7
by an applicant or recipient to maintain a level of living specified 8
by the department. 9
(16)(a) "Victim of human trafficking" means a noncitizen and any 10
qualifying family members who have: 11
(i) Filed or are preparing to file an application for T 12
nonimmigrant status with the appropriate federal agency pursuant to 8 13
U.S.C. Sec. 1101(a)(15)(T), as it existed on January 1, 2020;14
(ii) Filed or are preparing to file an application with the 15
appropriate federal agency for status pursuant to 8 U.S.C. Sec. 16
1101(a)(15)(U), as it existed on January 1, 2020; or17
(iii) Been harmed by either any violation of chapter 9A.40 or 18
9.68A RCW, or both, or by substantially similar crimes under federal 19
law or the laws of any other state, and who: 20
(A) Are otherwise taking steps to meet the conditions for federal 21
benefits eligibility under 22 U.S.C. Sec. 7105, as it existed on 22
January 1, 2020; or 23
(B) Have filed or are preparing to file an application with the 24
appropriate federal agency for status under 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1158.25
(b)(i) "Qualifying family member" means: 26
(A) A victim's spouse and children; and 27
(B) When the victim is under 21 years of age, a victim's parents 28
and unmarried siblings under the age of 18. 29
(ii) "Qualifying family member" does not include a family member 30
who has been charged with or convicted of attempt, conspiracy, 31
solicitation, or commission of any crime referenced in this 32
subsection or described under 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1101 (a)(15)(T) or (U) as 33
either existed on January 1, 2020, when the crime is against a spouse 34
who is a victim of human trafficking or against the child of a victim 35
of human trafficking. 36
(17) For purposes of determining eligibility for public 37
assistance and participation levels in the cost of medical care, the 38
department shall exempt restitution payments made to people of 39
Japanese and Aleut ancestry pursuant to the Civil Liberties Act of 40
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1988 and the Aleutian and Pribilof Island Restitution Act passed by 1
congress, P.L. 100-383, including all income and resources derived 2
therefrom. 3
(18) In the construction of words and phrases used in this title, 4
the singular number shall include the plural, the masculine gender 5
shall include both the feminine and neuter genders, and the present 6
tense shall include the past and future tenses, unless the context 7
thereof shall clearly indicate to the contrary. 8
NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. A new section is added to chapter 43.216 9
RCW to read as follows: 10
For the early childhood education and assistance program, the 11
department may not consider any cash assistance a person receives 12
from the families with children benefit pilot program created in 13
section 3 of this act or any guaranteed basic income program operated 14
by a government or private entity in determining family income or a 15
child's eligibility. 16
Sec. 8. RCW 43.216.802 and 2025 c 412 s 5 are each amended to 17
read as follows: 18
(1) It is the intent of the legislature to increase working 19
families' access to affordable, high quality child care and to 20
support the expansion of the workforce to support businesses and the 21
statewide economy. 22
(2) A family is eligible for working connections child care when 23
the household's annual income is at or below 60 percent of the state 24
median income adjusted for family size and: 25
(a) The child receiving care is: (i) Less than 13 years of age; 26
or (ii) less than 19 years of age and has a verified special need 27
according to department rule or is under court supervision; and28
(b) The household meets all other program eligibility 29
requirements established in this chapter or in rule by the department 30
as authorized by RCW 43.216.055 or 43.216.065 or any other authority 31
granted by this chapter. 32
(3) Beginning July 1, 2029, a family is eligible for working 33
connections child care when the household's annual income is above 60 34
percent and at or below 75 percent of the state median income 35
adjusted for family size and: 36
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(a) The child receiving care is: (i) Less than 13 years of age; 1
or (ii) less than 19 years of age and has a verified special need 2
according to department rule or is under court supervision; and3
(b) The household meets all other program eligibility 4
requirements established in this chapter or in rule by the department 5
as authorized by RCW 43.216.055 or 43.216.065 or any other authority 6
granted by this chapter. 7
(4) Beginning July 1, 2031, and subject to the availability of 8
amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, a family is eligible 9
for working connections child care when the household's annual income 10
is above 75 percent of the state median income and is at or below 85 11
percent of the state median income adjusted for family size and:12
(a) The child receiving care is: (i) Less than 13 years of age; 13
or (ii) less than 19 years of age and has a verified special need 14
according to department rule or is under court supervision; and15
(b) The household meets all other program eligibility 16
requirements established in this chapter or in rule by the department 17
as authorized by RCW 43.216.055 or 43.216.065 or any other authority 18
granted by this chapter. 19
(5) Beginning November 1, 2024, when an applicant or consumer is 20
a member of an assistance unit that is eligible for or receiving 21
basic food benefits under the federal supplemental nutrition 22
assistance program or the state food assistance program the 23
department must determine that the household income eligibility 24
requirements in this section are met. 25
(6) The department must adopt rules to implement this section, 26
including an income phase-out eligibility period. 27
(7) The department may not consider the citizenship status of an 28
applicant or consumer's child when determining eligibility for 29
working connections child care benefits. 30
(8) The income eligibility requirements in subsections (2) 31
through (4) of this section do not apply to households eligible for 32
the working connections child care program under RCW 43.216.808 and 33
43.216.814. 34
(9) The department may not consider any cash assistance a person 35
receives from the families with children benefit pilot program 36
created in section 3 of this act or any guaranteed basic income 37
program operated by a government or private entity in determining a 38
person's initial or ongoing eligibility or copayment.39
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Sec. 9. RCW 10.101.010 and 2011 1st sp.s. c 36 s 12 are each 1
reenacted and amended to read as follows: 2
The following definitions shall be applied in connection with 3
this chapter: 4
(1) "Anticipated cost of counsel" means the cost of retaining 5
private counsel for representation on the matter before the court.6
(2) "Available funds" means liquid assets and disposable net 7
monthly income calculated after provision is made for bail 8
obligations. For the purpose of determining available funds, the 9
following definitions shall apply: 10
(a) "Liquid assets" means cash, savings accounts, bank accounts, 11
stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit, equity in real estate, and 12
equity in motor vehicles. A motor vehicle necessary to maintain 13
employment and having a market value not greater than three thousand 14
dollars shall not be considered a liquid asset. 15
(b) "Income" means salary, wages, interest, dividends, and other 16
earnings which are reportable for federal income tax purposes, and 17
cash payments such as reimbursements received from pensions, 18
annuities, social security, and public assistance programs. It 19
includes any contribution received from any family member or other 20
person who is domiciled in the same residence as the defendant and 21
who is helping to defray the defendant's basic living costs. It does 22
not include any cash assistance a person receives from the families 23
with children benefit pilot program created in section 3 of this act 24
or any guaranteed basic income program operated by a government or 25
private entity.26
(c) "Disposable net monthly income" means the income remaining 27
each month after deducting federal, state, or local income taxes, 28
social security taxes, contributory retirement, union dues, and basic 29
living costs. 30
(d) "Basic living costs" means the average monthly amount spent 31
by the defendant for reasonable payments toward living costs, such as 32
shelter, food, utilities, health care, transportation, clothing, loan 33
payments, support payments, and court-imposed obligations.34
(3) "Indigent" means a person who, at any stage of a court 35
proceeding, is: 36
(a) Receiving one of the following types of public assistance: 37
Temporary assistance for needy families, aged, blind, or disabled 38
assistance benefits, medical care services under RCW 74.09.035, 39
pregnant women assistance benefits, poverty-related veterans' 40
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benefits, food stamps or food stamp benefits transferred 1
electronically, refugee resettlement benefits, medicaid, ((or)) 2
supplemental security income , or cash assistance from the families 3
with children benefit pilot program created in section 3 of this act ; 4
or 5
(b) Involuntarily committed to a public mental health facility; 6
or 7
(c) Receiving an annual income, after taxes, of one hundred 8
twenty-five percent or less of the current federally established 9
poverty level; or 10
(d) Unable to pay the anticipated cost of counsel for the matter 11
before the court because his or her available funds are insufficient 12
to pay any amount for the retention of counsel. 13
(4) "Indigent and able to contribute" means a person who, at any 14
stage of a court proceeding, is unable to pay the anticipated cost of 15
counsel for the matter before the court because his or her available 16
funds are less than the anticipated cost of counsel but sufficient 17
for the person to pay a portion of that cost. 18
Sec. 10. RCW 26.19.071 and 2025 c 272 s 2 are each amended to 19
read as follows: 20
(1) Consideration of all income. All income and resources of each 21
parent's household shall be disclosed and considered by the court 22
when the court determines the child support obligation of each 23
parent. Only the income of the parents of the children whose support 24
is at issue shall be calculated for purposes of calculating the basic 25
support obligation. Income and resources of any other person shall 26
not be included in calculating the basic support obligation.27
(2) Verification of income. Tax returns for the preceding two 28
years and current paystubs shall be provided to verify income and 29
deductions. Other sufficient verification shall be required for 30
income and deductions which do not appear on tax returns or paystubs.31
(3) Income sources included in gross monthly income. Except as 32
specifically excluded in subsection (4) of this section, monthly 33
gross income shall include income from any source, including:34
(a) Salaries; 35
(b) Wages; 36
(c) Commissions; 37
(d) Deferred compensation; 38
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(e) Overtime, except as excluded for income in subsection (4)1
(((i))) (j) of this section; 2
(f) Contract-related benefits; 3
(g) Income from second jobs, except as excluded for income in 4
subsection (4)(((i))) (j) of this section; 5
(h) Dividends; 6
(i) Interest; 7
(j) Trust income; 8
(k) Severance pay; 9
(l) Annuities; 10
(m) Capital gains; 11
(n) Pension retirement benefits; 12
(o) Workers' compensation; 13
(p) Unemployment benefits; 14
(q) Maintenance actually received; 15
(r) Bonuses; 16
(s) Social security benefits; 17
(t) Disability insurance benefits; and 18
(u) Income from self-employment, rent, royalties, contracts, 19
proprietorship of a business, or joint ownership of a partnership or 20
closely held corporation. 21
(4) Income sources excluded from gross monthly income. The 22
following income and resources shall be disclosed but shall not be 23
included in gross income: 24
(a) Income of a new spouse or new domestic partner or income of 25
other adults in the household; 26
(b) Child support received from other relationships;27
(c) Gifts and prizes; 28
(d) Temporary assistance for needy families; 29
(e) Supplemental security income; 30
(f) Aged, blind, or disabled assistance benefits;31
(g) Pregnant women assistance benefits; 32
(h) Food stamps; ((and))33
(i) Cash assistance from the families with children benefit pilot 34
program created in section 3 of this act; and35
(j) Overtime or income from second jobs beyond 40 hours per week 36
averaged over a 12-month period worked to provide for a current 37
family's needs, to retire past relationship debts, or to retire child 38
support debt, when the court finds the income will cease when the 39
party has paid off his or her debts. 40
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Receipt of income and resources from temporary assistance for 1
needy families, supplemental security income, aged, blind, or 2
disabled assistance benefits, and food stamps shall not be a reason 3
to deviate from the standard calculation. 4
(5) Determination of net income. The following expenses shall be 5
disclosed and deducted from gross monthly income to calculate net 6
monthly income: 7
(a) Federal and state income taxes; 8
(b) Federal insurance contributions act deductions;9
(c) Mandatory pension plan payments; 10
(d) Mandatory union or professional dues; 11
(e) Other mandatory state deductions, such as mandatory state 12
insurance premiums actually paid, including for the paid family and 13
medical leave program and long-term services and supports trust 14
program; 15
(f) State industrial insurance premiums; 16
(g) Court-ordered maintenance to the extent actually paid;17
(h) Up to $5,000 per year in voluntary retirement contributions 18
actually made if the contributions show a pattern of contributions 19
during the one-year period preceding the action establishing the 20
child support order unless there is a determination that the 21
contributions were made for the purpose of reducing child support; 22
and 23
(i) Normal business expenses and self-employment taxes for self-24
employed persons. Justification shall be required for any business 25
expense deduction about which there is disagreement.26
Items deducted from gross income under this subsection shall not 27
be a reason to deviate from the standard calculation.28
(6) Imputation of income. The court shall impute income to a 29
parent when the parent is voluntarily unemployed or voluntarily 30
underemployed. The court shall determine whether the parent is 31
voluntarily underemployed or voluntarily unemployed based upon that 32
parent's assets, residence, employment and earnings history, job 33
skills, educational attainment, literacy, health, age, criminal 34
record, dependency court obligations, and other employment barriers, 35
record of seeking work, the local job market, the availability of 36
employers willing to hire the parent, the prevailing earnings level 37
in the local community, or any other relevant factors. A court shall 38
not impute income to a parent who is gainfully employed on a full-39
time basis, unless the court finds that the parent is voluntarily 40
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underemployed and finds that the parent is purposely underemployed to 1
reduce the parent's child support obligation. Income shall not be 2
imputed for an unemployable parent. Income shall not be imputed to a 3
parent to the extent the parent is unemployed or significantly 4
underemployed due to the parent's efforts to comply with court-5
ordered reunification efforts under chapter 13.34 RCW or under a 6
voluntary placement agreement with an agency supervising the child.7
(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, in the absence 8
of records of a parent's actual earnings, the court shall impute a 9
parent's income in the following order of priority:10
(i) Full-time earnings at the current rate of pay;11
(ii) Full-time earnings at the historical rate of pay based on 12
reliable information, such as employment security department data;13
(iii) Full-time earnings at a past rate of pay where information 14
is incomplete or sporadic; 15
(iv) Earnings of 32 hours per week at minimum wage in the 16
jurisdiction where the parent resides if the parent is on or recently 17
coming off temporary assistance for needy families or recently coming 18
off aged, blind, or disabled assistance benefits, pregnant women 19
assistance benefits, essential needs and housing support, 20
supplemental security income, or disability, has recently been 21
released from incarceration, or is a recent high school graduate. 22
Imputation of earnings at 32 hours per week under this subsection is 23
a rebuttable presumption; 24
(v) Full-time earnings at minimum wage in the jurisdiction where 25
the parent resides if the parent has a recent history of minimum wage 26
earnings, has never been employed and has no earnings history, or has 27
no significant earnings history; 28
(vi) Median net monthly income of year-round full-time workers as 29
derived from the United States bureau of census, current population 30
reports, or such replacement report as published by the bureau of 31
census. 32
(b) When a parent is currently enrolled in high school full-time, 33
the court shall consider the totality of the circumstances of both 34
parents when determining whether each parent is voluntarily 35
unemployed or voluntarily underemployed. If a parent who is currently 36
enrolled in high school is determined to be voluntarily unemployed or 37
voluntarily underemployed, the court shall impute income at earnings 38
of 20 hours per week at minimum wage in the jurisdiction where that 39
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parent resides. Imputation of earnings at 20 hours per week under 1
this subsection is a rebuttable presumption. 2
Sec. 11. RCW 70.170.060 and 2025 c 182 s 3 are each amended to 3
read as follows: 4
(1) No hospital or its medical staff shall adopt or maintain 5
admission practices or policies which result in: 6
(a) A significant reduction in the proportion of patients who 7
have no third-party coverage and who are unable to pay for hospital 8
services; 9
(b) A significant reduction in the proportion of individuals 10
admitted for inpatient hospital services for which payment is, or is 11
likely to be, less than the anticipated charges for or costs of such 12
services; or 13
(c) The refusal to admit patients who would be expected to 14
require unusually costly or prolonged treatment for reasons other 15
than those related to the appropriateness of the care available at 16
the hospital. 17
(2) No hospital shall adopt or maintain practices or policies 18
which would deny access to emergency care based on ability to pay. No 19
hospital which maintains an emergency department shall transfer a 20
patient with an emergency medical condition or who is in active labor 21
unless the transfer is performed at the request of the patient or is 22
due to the limited medical resources of the transferring hospital. 23
Hospitals must make transfers to other hospitals in such 24
circumstances and as promptly as dictated by the standard of care and 25
follow reasonable procedures in making transfers to other hospitals 26
including confirmation of acceptance of the transfer by the receiving 27
hospital. 28
(3) The department shall develop definitions by rule, as 29
appropriate, for subsection (1) of this section and, with reference 30
to federal requirements, subsection (2) of this section. The 31
department shall monitor hospital compliance with subsections (1) and 32
(2) of this section. The department shall report individual instances 33
of possible noncompliance to the state attorney general or the 34
appropriate federal agency. 35
(4) The department shall establish and maintain by rule, 36
consistent with the definition of charity care in RCW 70.170.020, the 37
following: 38
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(a) Uniform procedures, data requirements, and criteria for 1
identifying patients receiving charity care; and 2
(b) A definition of residual bad debt including reasonable and 3
uniform standards for collection procedures to be used in efforts to 4
collect the unpaid portions of hospital charges that are the 5
patient's responsibility. 6
(5) For the purpose of providing charity care, each hospital 7
shall develop, implement, and maintain a policy which shall enable 8
indigent persons access to charity care. The policy shall include 9
procedures for identifying patients who may be eligible for health 10
care coverage through medical assistance programs under chapter 74.09 11
RCW or the Washington health benefit exchange and actively assisting 12
patients to apply for any available coverage. If a hospital 13
determines that a patient or their guarantor is qualified for 14
retroactive health care coverage through the medical assistance 15
programs under chapter 74.09 RCW, a hospital shall assist the patient 16
or guarantor with applying for such coverage. If a hospital 17
determines that a patient or their guarantor qualifies for 18
retroactive health care coverage through the medical assistance 19
programs under chapter 74.09 RCW, a hospital is not obligated to 20
provide charity care under this section to any patient or their 21
guarantor if the patient or their guarantor fails to make reasonable 22
efforts to cooperate with the hospital's efforts to assist them in 23
applying for such coverage. Hospitals may not impose application 24
procedures for charity care or for assistance with retroactive 25
coverage applications which place an unreasonable burden upon the 26
patient or guarantor, taking into account any physical, mental, 27
intellectual, or sensory deficiencies, or language barriers which may 28
hinder the responsible party's capability of complying with 29
application procedures. It is an unreasonable burden to require a 30
patient to apply for any state or federal program where the patient 31
is obviously or categorically ineligible or has been deemed 32
ineligible in the prior 12 months. 33
(a) At a minimum, a hospital owned or operated by a health system 34
that owns or operates three or more acute hospitals licensed under 35
chapter 70.41 RCW, an acute care hospital with over 300 licensed beds 36
located in the most populous county in Washington, or an acute care 37
hospital with over 200 licensed beds located in a county with at 38
least 450,000 residents and located on Washington's southern border 39
shall grant charity care per the following guidelines:40
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(i) All patients and their guarantors whose income is not more 1
than 300 percent of the federal poverty level, adjusted for family 2
size, shall be deemed charity care patients for the full amount of 3
the patient responsibility portion of their hospital charges;4
(ii) All patients and their guarantors whose income is between 5
301 and 350 percent of the federal poverty level, adjusted for family 6
size, shall be entitled to a 75 percent discount for the full amount 7
of the patient responsibility portion of their hospital charges, 8
which may be reduced by amounts reasonably related to assets 9
considered pursuant to (c) of this subsection; 10
(iii) All patients and their guarantors whose income is between 11
351 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level, adjusted for family 12
size, shall be entitled to a 50 percent discount for the full amount 13
of the patient responsibility portion of their hospital charges, 14
which may be reduced by amounts reasonably related to assets 15
considered pursuant to (c) of this subsection. 16
(b) At a minimum, a hospital not subject to (a) of this 17
subsection shall grant charity care per the following guidelines:18
(i) All patients and their guarantors whose income is not more 19
than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, adjusted for family 20
size, shall be deemed charity care patients for the full amount of 21
the patient responsibility portion of their hospital charges;22
(ii) All patients and their guarantors whose income is between 23
201 and 250 percent of the federal poverty level, adjusted for family 24
size, shall be entitled to a 75 percent discount for the full amount 25
of the patient responsibility portion of their hospital charges, 26
which may be reduced by amounts reasonably related to assets 27
considered pursuant to (c) of this subsection; and28
(iii) All patients and their guarantors whose income is between 29
251 and 300 percent of the federal poverty level, adjusted for family 30
size, shall be entitled to a 50 percent discount for the full amount 31
of the patient responsibility portion of their hospital charges, 32
which may be reduced by amounts reasonably related to assets 33
considered pursuant to (c) of this subsection. 34
(c)(i) If a hospital considers the existence, availability, and 35
value of assets in order to reduce the discount extended, it must 36
establish and make publicly available a policy on asset 37
considerations and corresponding discount reductions.38
(ii) If a hospital considers assets, the following types of 39
assets shall be excluded from consideration: 40
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(A) The first $5,000 of monetary assets for an individual or 1
$8,000 of monetary assets for a family of two, and $1,500 of monetary 2
assets for each additional family member. The value of any asset that 3
has a penalty for early withdrawal shall be the value of the asset 4
after the penalty has been paid; 5
(B) Any equity in a primary residence; 6
(C) Retirement plans other than 401(k) plans; 7
(D) One motor vehicle and a second motor vehicle if it is 8
necessary for employment or medical purposes; 9
(E) Any prepaid burial contract or burial plot; and10
(F) Any life insurance policy with a face value of $10,000 or 11
less. 12
(iii) In considering assets, a hospital may not impose procedures 13
which place an unreasonable burden on the responsible party. 14
Information requests from the hospital to the responsible party for 15
the verification of assets shall be limited to that which is 16
reasonably necessary and readily available to substantiate the 17
responsible party's qualification for charity sponsorship and may not 18
be used to discourage application for such sponsorship. Only those 19
facts relevant to eligibility may be verified and duplicate forms of 20
verification may not be demanded. 21
(A) In considering monetary assets, one current account statement 22
shall be considered sufficient for a hospital to verify a patient's 23
assets. 24
(B) In the event that no documentation for an asset is available, 25
a hospital shall rely upon a written and signed statement from the 26
responsible party. 27
(iv) Asset information obtained by the hospital in evaluating a 28
patient for charity care eligibility shall not be used for collection 29
activities. 30
(v) Nothing in this section prevents a hospital from considering 31
assets as required by the centers for medicare and medicaid services 32
related to medicare cost reporting. 33
(6) Hospitals may not consider money received under the families 34
and children benefit pilot program under section 3 of this act as 35
income and may not consider a patient's eligibility to receive money 36
under the families and children benefit pilot program as an asset 37
when determining a patient's eligibility for charity care.38
(7) Each hospital shall post and prominently display notice of 39
charity care availability. Notice must be posted in all languages 40
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spoken by more than ten percent of the population of the hospital 1
service area. Notice must be displayed in at least the following 2
locations: 3
(a) Areas where patients are admitted or registered;4
(b) Emergency departments, if any; and 5
(c) Financial service or billing areas where accessible to 6
patients. 7
(((7))) (8) Current versions of the hospital's charity care 8
policy, a plain language summary of the hospital's charity care 9
policy, and the hospital's charity care application form must be 10
available on the hospital's website. The summary and application form 11
must be available in all languages spoken by more than ten percent of 12
the population of the hospital service area. 13
(((8))) (9)(a) All hospital billing statements and other written 14
communications concerning billing or collection of a hospital bill by 15
a hospital must include the following or a substantially similar 16
statement prominently displayed on the first page of the statement in 17
both English and the second most spoken language in the hospital's 18
service area: 19
You may qualify for free care or a discount on your hospital 20
bill, whether or not you have insurance. Please contact our 21
financial assistance office at ... (website)... and ...(phone 22
number).... 23
(b) Nothing in (a) of this subsection requires any hospital to 24
alter any preprinted hospital billing statements existing as of 25
October 1, 2018. 26
(((9))) (10) Hospital obligations under federal and state laws to 27
provide meaningful access for limited English proficiency and non-28
English-speaking patients apply to information regarding billing and 29
charity care. Hospitals shall develop standardized training programs 30
on the hospital's charity care policy and use of interpreter 31
services, and provide regular training for appropriate staff, 32
including the relevant and appropriate staff who perform functions 33
relating to registration, admissions, or billing. 34
(((10))) (11) Each hospital shall make every reasonable effort to 35
determine: 36
(a) The existence or nonexistence of private or public 37
sponsorship which might cover in full or part the charges for care 38
rendered by the hospital to a patient; 39
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(b) The annual family income of the patient as classified under 1
federal poverty income guidelines as of the time the health care 2
services were provided, or at the time of application for charity 3
care if the application is made within two years of the time of 4
service, the patient has been making good faith efforts towards 5
payment of health care services rendered, and the patient 6
demonstrates eligibility for charity care; and 7
(c) The eligibility of the patient for charity care as defined in 8
this chapter and in accordance with hospital policy. An initial 9
determination of sponsorship status shall precede collection efforts 10
directed at the patient. 11
(((11))) (12) At the hospital's discretion, a hospital may 12
consider applications for charity care at any time, including any 13
time there is a change in a patient's financial circumstances.14
(((12))) (13) The department shall monitor the distribution of 15
charity care among hospitals, with reference to factors such as 16
relative need for charity care in hospital service areas and trends 17
in private and public health coverage. The department shall prepare 18
reports that identify any problems in distribution which are in 19
contradiction of the intent of this chapter. The report shall include 20
an assessment of the effects of the provisions of this chapter on 21
access to hospital and health care services, as well as an evaluation 22
of the contribution of all purchasers of care to hospital charity 23
care. 24
(((13))) (14) The department shall issue a report on the subjects 25
addressed in this section at least annually, with the first report 26
due on July 1, 1990. 27
NEW SECTION. Sec. 12. If any part of this act is found to be in 28
conflict with federal requirements that are a prescribed condition to 29
the allocation of federal funds to the state, the conflicting part of 30
this act is inoperative solely to the extent of the conflict and with 31
respect to the agencies directly affected, and this finding does not 32
affect the operation of the remainder of this act in its application 33
to the agencies concerned. Rules adopted under this act must meet 34
federal requirements that are a necessary condition to the receipt of 35
federal funds by the state.36
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NEW SECTION. Sec. 13. Sections 2 through 5 and 12 of this act 1
are each added to chapter 43.330 RCW and codified with the subchapter 2
heading of "families with children benefit pilot program."3
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