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Staff briefing: bill would delay ECAP entitlement, push back Working Connections income expansions; staff cites $734 million near‑term savings
Summary
A staff briefing on House Bill 1489 explained adjustments to the schedule for entitling Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECAP) slots and delaying Working Connections income eligibility expansions. OFM staff framed the bill as a fiscal response; early learning advocates urged investments in workforce and provider rates.
A House Appropriations Committee staff briefing on House Bill 1489 outlined proposed delays to the implementation schedule for ECAP entitlement and Working Connections income eligibility expansions and presented estimated fiscal impacts.
Durham Clark, staff to the committee, told members that under current law ECAP entitlement would begin in the 2026–27 school year and expand to include families at or below 50% of state median income (SMI) in 2030–31. House Bill 1489 would delay the ECAP entitlement from the 2026–27 school year to the 2030–31 school year; it would also delay phased increases to Working Connections income eligibility.
Clark summarized the governor's maintenance‑level budget numbers included in the briefing: the Inslee proposal included roughly $438,000,000 in state general fund over four years for additional ECAP school‑day slots and about $296,000,000 over four years to cover the Working Connections expansion to 75% SMI. Clark said delaying the ECAP entitlement and the Working Connections expansions would produce an estimated $734,000,000 in savings over the four‑year outlook compared with the governor's maintenance‑level proposal.
"Delaying the ECAP entitlement date would result in savings until fiscal year 2031 when ECAP would become an entitlement for families under 50% SMI," Clark said in the staff briefing. She noted cost estimates were based on the November caseload forecast and would be updated with the February forecast.
Testimony from early learning advocates acknowledged the budget pressures but urged lawmakers to plan for workforce and provider capacity ahead of the later entitlement date. Melissa Johnson of the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECAP said state programs "must pay our preschool teachers a livable wage" and asked the committee to invest over the next five years so the state can meet the later entitlement date.
Emily Murphy of Childcare Aware of Washington, testifying on behalf of childcare advocates, said she appreciated the long‑term commitment to early learning but urged the committee to "ensure provider rates are maintained at the 80 fifth percentile of market rate per statute so this essential workforce can stay open and serve families." Murphy and other advocates also asked that the current copay structure remain intact.
Sherry Sawyer of the Office of Financial Management, who previously spoke in support of the pension bill, also appeared in support of HB 1489 during the ECAP briefing and framed the delay as a response to fiscal realities: "This is tough times. You all are gonna grapple with difficult decisions, and this is one more option for you all to consider," she told the committee.
The briefing closed with no committee questions; the public hearing followed and concluded after in‑person testimony from advocates.
