Committee hears competing views on ending mandatory continuing education for family caregivers
Summary
On Jan. 20 the Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee heard testimony for and against HB 2337, which would repeal a future requirement that certain paid family caregivers begin annual continuing education in 2027; supporters said mandatory CE is irrelevant and burdensome for one‑on‑one family caregivers, while unions and training providers said course offerings have expanded and protect quality of care.
The Washington state House Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee on Jan. 20 heard more than two hours of testimony on House Bill 2337, a proposal to repeal a scheduled requirement that certain paid family providers begin annual continuing‑education (CE) hours in 2027.
Elizabeth Wren, counsel to the committee, told members the bill would remove the future requirement that family providers who are paid to care for relatives begin mandated continuing education on Jan. 1, 2027; current statute reduces initial training hours for many family providers and creates exemptions from the full home‑care aide certification regime.
Supporters of HB 2337, including family providers and parent coalition representatives, said mandatory annual CEs are often irrelevant to the highly individualized care they provide and would create compliance burdens that could drive caregivers away. "Making continuing education mandatory will waste the state's resources, worsen training backlogs, and discourage families who are the backbone of the caregiving system," said Deanna Winterrose of the Betton Franklin County Parent Coalition.
Michelle Odell, coordinator for the Thurston‑Mason DD Coalition (a partner of The Arc of Washington), told the committee that family providers frequently receive hands‑on, client‑specific training from parents, doctors and therapists that general CE classes cannot replicate and that mandatory, tracked annual hours would impose administrative costs.
Opponents of repeal included representatives of SEIU 775 and family providers who said recent statutory and rulemaking changes expanded course availability and that mandatory CE helps preserve quality and retain caregivers. "We launched more than 50 new courses and caregivers have completed thousands of hours of new CE coursework," said Yuki Hayashi of the SEIU 775 Benefits Group, urging the committee to vote against HB 2337.
Several lawmakers pressed witnesses on logistics and costs: witnesses said SEIU is the primary trainer, Consumer Direct Washington handles administration, and DDA (Developmental Disability Administration, also referred to as Developmental Disability Community Services) funds training so family providers do not pay out of pocket. Witnesses acknowledged some uncertainty about per‑course cost allocation and offered to follow up with details.
Committee members also asked whether less frequent mandatory training (for example, every other year) would address concerns; family provider witnesses said any mandatory schedule risks undermining the category's intent to avoid professionalizing family caregiving.
No executive action was taken on HB 2337; the committee closed the public hearing and moved on to other agenda items.
The committee did not vote on the bill during the Jan. 20 meeting. Future committee action and any formal amendment or fiscal analysis will determine whether the repeal advances.
