Panel considers creating child-care land trust on state trust lands to fund childcare access

The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee heard testimony on House Bill 1593, a proposal to create a child‑care social equity land trust that would authorize the Department of Natural Resources to acquire and manage lands in trust for the benefit of families in childcare deserts and overburdened communities and direct revenues into a new account to support childcare access.

Lily Smith, staff to the committee, told members the bill is substantially similar to a prior proposal and explained key mechanics: DNR would be authorized to acquire and hold lands meeting specified criteria (for example, lands at risk of conversion to non-forested uses), revenues from activities on those lands would be deposited into a new account after a DNR management fee, and the Department of Commerce would—subject to appropriation—establish a grant program funded from that account to support childcare sites and prioritize racial equity.

Rep. Christine Reeves, the bill’s sponsor, emphasized early learning as infrastructure and framed the measure as a long-term revenue strategy to address gaps in childcare access and funding. Reeves said existing choices left rural and overburdened communities behind and described the proposal as a “social equity land trust” intended to create durable funding for early learning and rural childcare access.

Supporters included the Washington Child Care Centers Association and community advocates representing childcare workers. Amy Anderson of the Washington Child Care Centers Association called the bill “another tool in the toolbox” to address childcare shortages; Paula Sardinas, speaking for Black childcare workers, framed the proposal as racial and economic-justice action and urged continued work during the interim.

Students and local residents gave first‑hand accounts of childcare shortages and the economic burden on families and workers with nonstandard hours. Testimony included anecdotal examples of parents who cannot find affordable, flexible care and youth speakers who said the bill would create long-term economic and environmental co-benefits. Several witnesses cited research or claimed economic impacts; for example, one testifier said the state loses roughly $2.08 billion annually in productivity because of childcare shortages. Those numeric claims were presented as testimony and were not independently verified at the hearing.

Committee staff read sign-in tallies into the record: Pro 11, Con 950. Committee members did not vote on the bill; the committee closed the public hearing after testimony and indicated the matter will continue to be discussed in the interim.

Why it matters: HB 1593 would create a novel mechanism—using trust land revenues—to provide sustained funding targeted to childcare deserts, rural communities and historically overburdened populations, and it explicitly prioritizes racial equity in grant awards. Supporters say the approach could create a reliable revenue stream for early learning; opponents or skeptics (noted in written submissions) raised implementation questions and urged further detail on governance, appropriation triggers and fiscal modeling.

Next steps: The committee closed the public hearing and expects further work in the interim; no committee vote occurred at this meeting.