This bill adds a new section to chapter 43.216 RCW and amends existing provisions to expand and change eligibility and implementation rules for the Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) program. It creates a new eligibility pathway for applicants or household members employed by a "small business" (defined as independently owned with 50 or fewer employees), expands and staggers income eligibility thresholds for WCCC (baseline at or below 60% of state median income; expansion to >60% and ≤75% effective July 1, 2029; a further expansion to >75% and ≤85% effective July 1, 2031 if funds are appropriated), and amends RCW 43.216.810 to allow higher apprenticeship-related eligibility (first 12 months of enrollment at ≤75% of state median income, rising to ≤85% on July 1, 2031 if appropriations are provided). The bill requires the (unnamed) department that administers WCCC to adopt rules and a copayment model for benefits under the new small-business and apprenticeship provisions that align with RCW 43.216.804, to include an income phase-out eligibility period, and to treat households receiving basic food benefits (SNAP or state food assistance) as meeting the income eligibility requirements beginning November 1, 2024. It also prohibits the department from considering the citizenship status of an applicant's or consumer's child when determining eligibility. The act is declared an emergency with an effective date of July 1, 2025 and was read for the first time February 10, 2025. This is a mix of new law (the added section), statutory amendments (to RCW 43.216.802 and 43.216.810 and reenactment language), and procedural changes (rulemaking, copayment model adoption, and eligibility determination procedures). The text provided does not name the specific department to implement these changes, does not specify the new section number added to chapter 43.216, and does not provide details of the required copayment model or the terms of the appropriations that condition the 2031 income thresholds.

If enacted, more lowand moderate-income families would become eligible for state-subsidized child care: people who work for independently owned small businesses (50 or fewer employees) and families with a parent in a state-registered apprenticeship would be able to access Working Connections Child Care at higher income limits (up to 75% of the state median income now, with a possible further expansion to 85% in 2031 only if the legislature funds it). Households receiving SNAP or state food assistance will be treated as meeting the program’s income test starting November 1, 2024, and the law bars using a child’s citizenship status to deny eligibility, so eligible families are likely to face lower child care costs and increased access beginning July 1, 2025. The state agency that runs the program must write rules, adopt copayment models consistent with current law, and set up an income phase-out, which will create administrative work and some implementation costs for the agency. Broader eligibility will likely increase program enrollment and therefore state subsidy spending if appropriations follow; the size and timing of that budget impact are uncertain because the higher 2031 thresholds depend on future funding and the bill text does not name the specific agency or the exact copayment levels.