[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6363972,"mediaKeyId","2165577-5c2ee678d1d2714ff969b9f66f2213ff","parentId",2165577,"title","Committee examines proposal to substitute DOC accreditation by NCCHC for Department of Health licensure","audioSeconds",3111,"startMs",45000,"endMs",3156000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2165577-5c2ee678d1d2714ff969b9f66f2213ff&start=45&end=3156","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2165577-5c2ee678d1d2714ff969b9f66f2213ff/thumbnail_45000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6363972/Washington/Committee-examines-proposal-to-substitute-DOC-accreditation-by-NCCHC-for-Department-of-Health-licensure","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6363972-4be8c5909af92f7793c64e2013043ec9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447757&Signature=e9CqtrsWpEmypipt2zo5XWVelKWVaDgUYZWevMOgWLl-2DoE-BR9CbyTTXn~NU9LoaKV3e5uKLQBLJP-hnRo-iJ-Z6FLaI5k~6AkV87-iQ3le077w27--F0JY8WtpAb3DaVlj~gW1rOF0Fox-VOYkXfcyEeLa2DsnGR3PFCml3JNDFKrThZ2V7L4cnfR2XGSsHomFuqZxcHwKRvPBGWuLYm3Uo7OT53eOtohxZ4Y7pN37WhSyDtHgRPSBIhc7fens5zw8zbXb3fQhikmBc94wcOi8pHtzbi-Rj-FbGYmp3KJLjr-M2W6f8DoNYk4poJwbHGp0jh5tibUI1Iq3CNUug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Senate Human Services ","date","2025-01-29T00:00:00Z","article","The Senate Human Services Committee heard Jan. 29 on Senate Bill 5388, sponsored by Sen. Manka Dhingra, which would change certification requirements for behavioral health and substance use disorder (SUD) services in Washington prisons. Under the bill, SUD treatment provided as part of the prison-based drug offender sentencing alternative (DOSA) would need to be delivered by licensed individuals, and the Department of Corrections (DOC), subject to appropriation, would seek accreditation through the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) by July 1, 2028. The bill would also change agency language from “offender” to “individual.”

Kelsey Anne Fung, committee staff, summarized background: the Department of Health currently licenses and regulates inpatient and outpatient behavioral health agencies; 2020 legislation required SUD services provided as part of prison-based DOSA to be licensed by DOH; DOC’s Substance Abuse Recovery Unit is currently a certified treatment agency with services in prisons and reentry centers. Fung noted a fiscal note request had been filed Jan. 23 but had not yet been received.

Sponsor Sen. Manka Dhingra told the committee she previously sponsored 2021 legislation that put the DOSA program under Department of Health licensure and said she is proposing this change because of state fiscal constraints. “We are in an extremely tough financial situation,” Dhingra said, and she described the change as a way to continue certification without pausing treatment while saving state costs. Dhingra said the NCCHC standards are “comparable” and that the change could reduce a projected cost from roughly $20 million to about $10 million.

DOC officials and correctional health experts described competing considerations. David Flynn, Assistant Secretary for Health Services at DOC, said NCCHC accreditation is tailored to correctional settings and would require regular assessments, staff training and compliance demonstration; he said accreditation would advance care for roughly 13,000 people in DOC custody but acknowledged additional appropriations would be necessary. Mark Stern, a correctional physician and former DOC chief medical officer, supported removing DOH licensure as overly burdensome but urged a pause to coordinate DOC and DOH standards and suggested taking time to craft state standards before committing to a single external accreditor.

Opponents focused on oversight and the quality of care. Rachel Sievers of Disability Rights Washington, Ethan Frenchman of Columbia Legal Services, and Vanessa Sabedra of Northwest Health Law Advocates said DOH audits have identified substantive patient-care failures — including medical record-keeping problems, inconsistent mental health assessments, lapses in suicide-watch protocols and lack of access to substance use treatment — and warned that NCCHC accreditation focuses principally on policy and process rather than verifying delivery of substantive medical care. Sievers and Frenchman urged the committee to review DOH audit reports and to hear from DOH before removing DOH oversight.

Witnesses debated the source of projected costs. Mark Stern said the larger $20 million figure primarily represented treatment dollars DOC needs to provide required care, whereas the $10 million figure reflects administrative and process costs to prepare for an external accreditation audit. Several witnesses said eliminating DOH oversight would not remove DOC’s obligation to provide constitutionally required care and urged any savings be directed to patient care rather than accreditation administration.

Committee members and witnesses suggested further work with DOH and DOC to reconcile standards and to clarify fiscal impacts before finalizing policy. The hearing record shows robust testimony from DOC staff, clinical experts, legal advocates and court monitors; no committee final vote on SB 5388 was recorded in the transcript of this meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Human Services - 1/29/2025 8:00 AM","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 5388 would allow the Department of Corrections to pursue accreditation through the National Commission on Correctional Health Care instead of licensure by the Department of Health for prison-based behavioral health and substance-use services, subject to appropriation, a committee staff briefing said Jan. 29.","taxTitle","Human Services, Senate, Legislative Sessions, Washington","taxId",20506,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6363977,"Committee hears bill to expand juvenile diversion, remove completed diversions from youths' criminal history",1939,327000,2266000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2165577-5c2ee678d1d2714ff969b9f66f2213ff&start=327&end=2266","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2165577-5c2ee678d1d2714ff969b9f66f2213ff/thumbnail_327000.jpg","/articles/6363977/Washington/Committee-hears-bill-to-expand-juvenile-diversion-remove-completed-diversions-from-youths-criminal-history","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6363977-5b213290bc2070a7e25ba4f3faa43031/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447757&Signature=SBZkeWqh70xTc43xudcGB~DLFucm3y-cJvxxYlSetpCm9dU23jjg2XMTbDxesPIyMyLjZHK5Z33szo7ZL2U6NDBepI7Mhbrq~QKbpz7UmDtWqwX8xsMtiUU0H~qk7C~GaKh7KlQP3UKO6YRc4QHFq8lsUlQXpp9UHzIfs~FOhvwIaQwr13MqdV2NlNW7o97NNkYW~QcxCbD~xajyl3DlLflNBArN-pnTtkVrDXMQkd6IzUmrkNYnASZsBjMu1-VaxUrrt0Lp6VSz~36Zngc01mbmNAHPa7yCfU6gkdsFCE3toPqwpG64UDotI8HZBDWJaqKmyi27Rq-TLrL84vdVOg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Human Services Committee members heard testimony Jan. 29 on Senate Bill 5426, sponsored by Sen. Claire Wilson, which would expand developmentally appropriate diversion options for youth, prevent successful diversions from being treated as part of a juvenile's criminal history and create a grant program to support community-based diversion services.

The bill would clarify that completed diversion agreements are not part of a juvenile's criminal history, allow restorative justice components in diversion agreements, permit courts to extend diversion completion periods, and expand the opportunity to complete diversions to age 21 for offenses committed before age 18. It would also require the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), subject to funding, to establish a grant program to support community-based diversion programs and direct the Administrative Office of the Courts to deliver an annual statewide report on diversion use and demographics. A preliminary fiscal note identified roughly $164,000 for the current biennium for grant-reporting and administrative work.

Sponsor Sen. Claire Wilson, chair of the Human Services Committee, said the bill is “solution focused and prevention focused,” describing diversion as cost-effective and associated with lower recidivism and higher educational attainment for youth. “Anything that we can do that would keep young people out of that system and provide them with the support that they need and they deserve is well worth our attention and our time and also our investments,” Wilson said.

Supporters described local programs and data that back broader diversion use. Roxanna Gomez of Legal Counsel for Youth and Children said juvenile court administrators reported diversion as some of their most successful work and that many counties lack dedicated diversion funding. “We urge the state to prioritize and invest in upstream early interventions like diversion,” she said. Liz Trautman of Stand for Children cited a 2015 Washington State Institute for Public Policy analysis finding diverted youth had less than half the recidivism rate of adjudicated youth and said the bill would align statute with current local practices regarding criminal history.

Community providers and program alumni also testified. Ladessa Croucher of Resolution Washington said dispute resolution centers offering juvenile diversion had strong results in local evaluations. Jameesa Sanchez of Choose 180 described a 92% success rate for participants in her program. Young people who had participated in diversion — including Morning Large and Gisela Gonzales — described diversion as life-changing and urged passage.

Court and administrative officials said the bill would fill data gaps. Julie Perkins of the Administrative Office of the Courts said the bill would fund a full-time researcher to create a statewide dataset on diversion, noting current statewide data are inconsistent or not systematically tracked. Linea Anderson, representing the Washington Association of Juvenile Court Administrators, said diversion practice varies by county and the bill helps align statute with local practice and create funding pathways.

Committee members pressed proponents on data and safety concerns. Ranking Member Christian asked how removing diversion from criminal history would affect a judge’s ability to consider prior conduct; witnesses responded that removing diversions from the technical definition of criminal history would not erase records and that the Administrative Office would still collect data so courts and stakeholders could evaluate patterns and outcomes. Supporters said prosecutors retain discretion about which cases to divert and that serious violent offenses are unlikely to be diverted.

The hearing closed with committee members indicating interest and little formal committee action during the public portion. No final committee vote on SB 5426 was recorded in the transcript of this meeting.

The bill drew support from juvenile justice advocates, court administrators and community diversion providers; witnesses asked for funding and data collection to make diversion options more uniformly available across Washington.","The Senate Human Services Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 5426, which would expand diversion options for youth, prohibit successful diversions from counting as criminal history, allow restorative justice in diversion agreements and create a DCYF grant program to support community-based diversion programs.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6363967,"Votes at a glance: human services committee executive actions, Jan. 29",0,3966000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2165577-5c2ee678d1d2714ff969b9f66f2213ff&start=3966&end=3966","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2165577-5c2ee678d1d2714ff969b9f66f2213ff/thumbnail_3966000.jpg","/articles/6363967/Washington/Votes-at-a-glance-human-services-committee-executive-actions-Jan-29","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6363967-731371cf82203e0e6aef9cdd72440f66/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447757&Signature=diWBvdz6NGLTn-XmbgbHqh8ubIw55DyK3TnUMb72xPCg6UAVffB8bPzTXiA3qdyfR6YX8lRAEpyi2jjfJcggiUUbvtckZL6OsOzjqpU3nYoBf1e8Q6KZonLta91VBojap9JiwkmCCqJZaFl5w~qE1E41o6vJmw37Uu1d08C~J3p~8WZ9V7HlHbAg~fCh-hwN3FKDrwJ8JcnE8tzIVWcQJKVMorA6xu0lFSWWZQMCnnfcHEwYooxeb7pjZhh7XKIknBtzQ53CNKE8jko5PmcQ63O-Bhke7grjPmD1NzjuQo1EfYE5huoiQj8UBRdVInVwdKuP4MwCLRQgaNhyMvsyUA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Human Services Committee met in executive session Jan. 29 and took committee actions on a number of bills. The committee recorded motions, amendment votes and referrals for several measures; the transcript records the committee recommending passage or referral for the bills listed below.

Key committee actions recorded in the transcript (motions and outcomes as stated in committee):

- Senate Bill 5005 (jail oversight/council substitute): The committee considered multiple amendments. After debate the committee adopted the proposed substitute and moved the bill with a “due pass” recommendation to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.

- Senate Bill 5128 (Medicaid suspension/reinstatement and reentry services substitute): Amendment B1 was adopted and rolled into the proposed substitute; the committee moved the proposed substitute with a “due pass” recommendation to Rules.

- Senate Bill 5139 (Reentry Council): Amendment C1 (adding two crime victims/survivors) passed; other proposed amendments failed or were withdrawn; the committee rolled adopted amendments into a substitute and moved the bill with a “due pass” recommendation to Rules.

- Senate Bill 5163 (child fatality review modernization): Technical amendment D1 was adopted and rolled into the substitute; the committee moved the substitute with a “due pass” recommendation to Ways and Means.

- Senate Bill 5182 (DOC midwifery/doula services substitute): The committee adopted the proposed substitute and moved the bill with a due pass recommendation to Rules.

- Senate Bill 5211 (parents paid caregivers for children with developmental disabilities): The committee moved the bill with a “due pass” recommendation to Ways and Means.

- Senate Bill 5232 (Housing & Essential Needs codification substitute): The committee considered an amendment F1 that failed; the committee later adopted and moved the proposed substitute with a due pass recommendation to Rules.

- Senate Bill 5318 (background checks and related DDA/DCYF corrections): The committee moved the bill with a due pass recommendation to Ways and Means.

Many motions were made from the committee floor for adoption of specific amendments; the transcript records voice votes with “aye” and “nay” but does not include roll-call tallies or a member-by-member recorded vote in most cases. Several amendments were withdrawn by sponsors during discussion. Where amendments were adopted, the committee rolled those changes into proposed substitutes and sent the revised measures to the listed committees.

The transcript shows committee procedural action but does not include signed final reports or recorded roll-call tallies in the public transcript excerpt. Members discussed fiscal notes, technical fixes and membership questions for council and oversight bills during the executive session portion of the meeting.

Below is a concise list of bills with the committee referral recorded in the transcript: SB 5005 (Ways & Means), SB 5128 (Rules), SB 5139 (Rules), SB 5163 (Ways & Means), SB 5182 (Rules), SB 5211 (Ways & Means), SB 5232 (Rules), SB 5318 (Ways & Means).","During the committee's executive session Jan. 29 the Human Services Committee considered multiple bills and moved several with committee recommendations to other committees; most actions were procedural referrals and proposed substitutes were adopted for several measures.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee examines proposal to substitute DOC accreditation by NCCHC for Department of Health licensure

Committee hears bill to expand juvenile diversion, remove completed diversions from youths' criminal history

Votes at a glance: human services committee executive actions, Jan. 29