Social and Economic Policy
Children's Issues

Promote policies and funding to ensure a coordinated continuum of care for children at risk, reducing children removed from home or kinship networks by providing families with the supports they need and expand extended foster care.



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Updates

Legislation


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Overview
Children’s Services Priorities for 2026:

  • Preserve SSI and other federal benefits for children in foster care, ending the unjust practice of using children’s benefits to offset state care costs and reducing the risk of homelessness and instability as youth exit care.

  • Keep families together while protecting child safety, responding to recent increases in critical incidents with solutions that reflect the complex realities families face.

  •  Strengthen and expand efforts to reduce child and youth homelessness

Overview of the 2025 Legislative Session
During the 2024 Legislative Session, two Children’s bills the League supported passed. These included one to eliminate child marriage. This bill provided that a marriage entered into in which either person has not attained the age of 18 years is voice. It further eliminated provisions authorizing a court to waive the age requirement on a showing of necessity. HB 1455 became effective June 6, 2024. The other bill (SB 5908), extended foster care for youth 18-21 and directed the Department of Children, Youth and Families to make changes to the Extended Foster Care Program to reduce barriers to participation.


A number of bills failed to pass in 2024 including allowing some minors to contract for housing and utilities, supporting students who are chronically absent, providing dependent youth with financial education and support, phasing out the use of restraint or isolation in schools, and adding clergy to the list of mandated reporters when there is reasonable cause to believe a child has suffered abuse or neglect.

While budget constraints were major theme in the 2025 Legislative Session, there were indications that members of the legislature are concerned about children of color in the child welfare system and youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems.


Updates
 At times during the session, an Issue Chair may write a "Weekly Update" to provide more details on what happened during the week. When they are available, they can be found below:


2026 Children's Issues Legislation

Bills in green are supported. Bills in red are opposed by the League. Bills in black the League is watching.

SB 5911/HB 2169 Strengthening the financial stability of persons in the care of the department of children, youth, and families.
This bill will end the practice of withholding federal SSI benefits from youth ages 18 to 21 in foster care. Further, it requires the Department to assess youth’s eligibility to receive such benefits and help them attain those benefits. This year’s bill focuses on youth in Extended Foster Care as a first step toward ending this practice for all children in care. 

SB 5940 Creating a housing assistance pilot program for youth enrolled in extended foster care.
This bill would create a housing pilot which provides a benefit to dependent young people in extended foster care that is equivalent to the benefit provided by the federal foster youth to independence program, such that young people in extended foster care can receive housing assistance while they are dependent and still benefit from the federal program when they turn 21.


How To Be Involved

  • Local Leagues in Washington have action chairs who coordinate action teams. Some local Leagues have health care teams to take action locally. Contact your local League action chair to find out and join.

  • If you are interested in a particular bill, use the links above to go to the webpage for that bill. These pages include staff summaries and reports including who testified PRO versus CON on the bill. There is also information about how to access videos of hearings that have been held.

  • Read and take action through the LWVWA Legislative Action Newsletter, distributed each Sunday during the legislative session.

  • You may also express your opinion on legislation with the LWVWA issue chairs. We will take your perspectives under consideration as we determine our support for legislation and prepare testimony. Send them to Janet Hedgepath, Children’s Issues Issue Chair.

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