Janet Wade — Janet Wade is brought into the Zoom room and then called to testify as a public witness.
Susie Hanson — Susie Hanson is called into the Zoom room as a public testifier.
Susie Hanson — Introduced herself as executive director of the Washington Federation of Independent Schools and began testimony in support of the bill with a request to include private elementary schools with pre-K programs.
Nancy Trebina — A witness identifies herself as Chief Strategy Officer for Educational Opportunities for Children and Families and testifies in support of HB 2317.
Jeanette Wade — Jeanette Wade, the educational coordinator for the Opportunity Council Early Learning and Family Service Program, introduces herself and explains that she oversees preschool services and DCYF licensing for 15 classrooms. She supports HB 2317 and describes how licensing delays affect ECAP and Head Start classrooms.
HB2317 — The witness states strong support for HB 2317.
Julio Cortes — Vice Chair Julio Cortes thanked the chair and handled witness testimony by calling on the next witness/testifier.
Julio Cortes — Julio Cortes is repeatedly addressed as Vice Chair/Representative during a procedural stretch of the meeting, including transitions between speakers and testimony. The chair and participants direct remarks to him several times, with the transcript showing minor transcription variations of his title and name, but no substantive change in topic.
HB2099 — House Bill 2099 is introduced in hearing as a measure to expand access to the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECAP) for military families. The discussion explains that the bill broadens enrollment categories and eligibility, including access for children with a military parent and income at or below the Working Connections Child Care threshold, and revises prioritization for available funded slots. Speakers emphasize that the bill is intended to help military families access ECAP without changing income eligibility in a way that creates additional burden, and the prime sponsor and witnesses express support for the bill.
HB2099 — House Bill 2099 was introduced as a bill to make it easier for military families to enroll in ECAP. The speaker then asked the committee to support the bill, and the hearing on House Bill 2099 concluded shortly afterward.
Omera Harrington — Committee counsel begins explaining House Bill 2099 and ECAP eligibility.
Omera Harrington — Committee counsel explaining House Bill 2350.
Omera Harrington — Staff counsel of the committee provided the briefing on HB 2318.
Mari Leavitt — Recognized as the prime sponsor and thanked for bringing the bill.
Mari Leavitt — Speaks in support of the bill and frames child care access as essential for workers, businesses, and the economy.
Mari Leavitt — Describes military family food insecurity and notes her district includes Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Camp Murray.
Mari Leavitt — Cites commanders from multiple installations and identifies housing, child care, and employment as readiness issues.
Mari Leavitt — Urges support for the bill and emphasizes deployed and single custodial military parents.
Mari Leavitt — Thanked as the prime sponsor.
Mari Leavitt — Referenced as the sponsor of the bill.
Mari Leavitt — Mari Leavitt was thanked for serving as the prime sponsor of the legislation, and her earlier point was cited that one in five military families experience food insecurity, with rates described as high and rising.
April Connors — Likely the ranking member being addressed as 'Ranking Member Eslick' is a transcription error; the correct member list does not include Eslick in this role here, so this remains uncertain.
Kristen Wiggins — Kristen Wiggins is called to the podium and testifies in support of House Bill 2099 on behalf of Mission Readiness. She argues that the bill supports long-term military readiness by improving child outcomes and helping keep kids in school, and she closes by urging support for the bill.
Mark Gary — Mark Gary is called to the podium and then testifies in support of HB 2099 as a former Head Start parent, parent ambassador, and disabled Navy veteran. He describes his background, including military service, becoming a sole custodial parent, and how Early Head Start and Head Start helped his sons Peter and Solomon. He explains that military families face unique burdens and that changes in VA disability ratings could affect program eligibility, which is why he has advocated on this issue at the federal level. He closes by thanking the committee and noting that his son is thriving in school, including advanced learning opportunities.
Matthew Schillenberg — Placed on deck to testify next.
Lori Pittman — Lori Pittman was called to testify for Puget Sound Educational Service District and explained that the organization is a major provider of ECAP services in Washington, including services near military bases. She urged support for the bill because military families face limited access to therapeutic services, high stress from frequent transitions, and children in these families often experience greater trauma, higher ACEs scores, and more concerning behavioral and depression symptoms. She noted the program is full, has waiting lists that include many military families, and that the bill would help expedite enrollment and support expansion in a high-need area of Pierce County. In response to committee questions, she described Puget Sound ESD as a long-term provider working through subcontracting and partnerships with Clover Park School District and nearby child care providers. She said workforce shortages remain a challenge, but the organization is recruiting and preparing child care providers to take ECAP slots, coordinating with center directors and statewide partners on capacity, and would follow up with the committee by email with more details.
HB2099 — The witness supports HB 2099, saying it would create better opportunities for children by expanding early learning access. The witness also praises the bill’s changes for expanding eligibility and keeping that eligibility in place until kindergarten.
HB2099 — Described as a practical solution to help military households access ECAP.
Claudia Kauffman — A letter written by Maria Cantwell in 2018 was referenced as supporting documentation; the transcript says 'Maria Cantwell,' but no member ID is available for that name in the provided list.
Joe Timmons — Named as a co-sponsor.
Greg Nance — Likely intended by 'S. Lake' or another co-sponsor reference is unclear; transcription is uncertain and no exact match is available.
Committee member asking question — Asked the testifier what the highlight of middle school might be.
Matthew Schillingberg — Requested to come up to the podium for testimony.
Matt Schillingberg — Matt Schillingberg, Deputy Chair of the Veterans Legislative Coalition, introduced himself and explained that the coalition includes 18 veterans service organizations across Washington. He stated that the coalition unanimously supports the bill and concluded by thanking the committee for its work on it.
Joel Ryan — Called on to testify from the Zoom room.
Joel Ryan — Introduced himself as executive director of the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECAP and testified in support of House Bill 2099.
Joel Ryan — Explained how military family instability affects children and noted financial strain not captured by traditional income measures.
Joel Ryan — Credited as the author/leader behind the bill.
Alex Scaliana — Introduced themselves as being with Children's Campaign Fund Action and testified in strong support of the legislation.
Maria Tobin — Introduced herself as leader of the South Sound Military and Community's Partnership.
HB2350 — House Bill 2350 was introduced as a measure to increase transparency around residential habilitation center compliance with federal requirements. The discussion explained that when DSHS receives notice that an RHC is out of compliance with CMS requirements, it must provide written notice to residents and designated contacts. A speaker then testified in support of the bill, emphasizing its transparency and notification provisions, and the chair ultimately closed the hearing on HB 2350.
Darya Farivar — The chair introduced Representative Darya Farivar as the prime sponsor. Farivar introduced herself, described the bill as simple, and explained that the information at issue is public but difficult for the average person to find. After answering questions, she was thanked by the chair.
Joshua Penner — Representative Penner was discussed in connection with possible amendments, and he was credited with recommending that the amendments include a plain-language summary.
Jake Fey — The vice chair asked whether the public information is available in multiple languages.
Jake Fey — The chair addressed Vice Chair Cortez while calling the next testifier.
Stacy Dim — The chair announced Stacy Dim as a public testifier.
Chloe Marino — Chloe Marino was announced as a public testifier and then appeared to testify, introducing herself as an attorney at Disability Rights Washington.
Stacey Dim — The Arc of Washington State executive director testified in support of HB 2350 and described her personal connection to an RHC resident.
HB2350 — The speaker testified in strong support of HB 2350 and urged its passage, explaining the bill’s 10-day notification timeline as part of the rationale for support.
HB2318 — House Bill 2318 is introduced and briefed as a measure related to Early Achievers quality improvement awards. The bill would allow providers participating in Early Achievers to count children enrolled in ECEAP or Head Start toward the 5% eligibility threshold, helping them serve more children while still qualifying for the award. The prime sponsor and multiple witnesses testify in strong support, describing the bill as beneficial for vulnerable populations and a practical solution to funding and service constraints. The chair then closes the hearing on the bill after testimony and questions.