This bill amends existing child care licensing law (RCW 43.216.300 and 43.216.305). It prohibits the secretary from charging fees to a licensee for obtaining a child care license, requires agencies to apply for initial or continuation licenses using a department-prescribed method, and requires the department to grant or deny a license or continuation within 90 days of receiving an application. It also clarifies that licenses apply only to the licensee and location listed, allows transfer of a license on change of ownership, requires licensees to notify the secretary of material changes that might reclassify the license, and permits licensed family day care homes with an acceptable history to keep a license in effect for two weeks after a move. The bill creates an annual nonexpiring full license process by adding procedural requirements: each year a licensee must submit a declaration of intent to continue operating or to cease on a date certain, a declaration of compliance with all licensing rules, and background check applications for all current employees into the department’s electronic workforce registry on a department-established schedule. Failure to meet these annual requirements causes the license to expire and requires a new application. The nonexpiring license process is required not to interfere with the department’s monitoring practices. The bill defines “good standing” for continuation decisions and monitoring as the absence, in the intervening period between monitoring visits, of valid complaints, a history of noncompliance related to those valid complaints or pending from prior monitoring visits, or other information that would result in a finding of noncompliance. The department must consider good standing when determining monitoring approach and may issue a probationary license under RCW 43.216.320 if an agency is not in good standing. These are amendments to existing law that make procedural and definitional changes and prohibit licensing fees; they do not create a new criminal offense or explicitly change penalties in the extracted text. Missing or unclear details in the provided text include which specific executive department or “secretary” is referenced, the department-prescribed application method, the schedule for submitting background check applications, the department’s rule definition of “current employees,” the prior fee structure and any transitional provisions, the contents of RCW 43.216.315 and RCW 43.216.320 as referenced, and what is meant by “other information” that could lead to a finding of noncompliance.

If enacted, child care providers would no longer pay fees to get a license, but they would need to meet new annual paperwork requirements to keep a “nonexpiring” full license: declare intent to operate or a closing date, declare compliance with licensing rules, and submit background check applications for current employees on whatever schedule the department sets. Providers who meet the rules must receive a license or continuation within 90 days of applying, and small family day care homes with an otherwise good history get a two‑week grace period to keep their license after a move. Failing the annual requirements causes a license to expire and forces a provider to start a new application, which could mean time and reapplication expense despite the removal of the initial licensing fee. The department and its secretary would have to adopt a department‑prescribed application method, meet the 90‑day processing deadline, and use a new “good standing” standard between monitoring visits to shape how they monitor providers and whether to issue a probationary license. Important details are missing from the excerpt — which specific department and secretary this refers to, the exact application method and background‑check schedule, how “other information” is judged, and how prior fee rules transition — so providers and the agency face some uncertainty about operational steps, timing, and enforcement risks until those details are clarified.