HB 1926 Washington House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Regarding training and testing of home care aides.

This bill requires Washington's Department of Health to collaborate with the Department of Social and Health Services to integrate certification testing into home care aide training programs by July 1, 2028. It mandates that exams include both skills demonstrations and knowledge tests, be administered in applicants' preferred languages, and be offered through facility-based or community training programs. The law affects home care aides seeking certification, their training programs, and the departments overseeing testing standards. It also specifies that testing must be conducted fairly and accessible to all applicants, with annual reviews of language-specific exam results.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Last action Jan 12, 2026

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What changed between versions

Bill → Substitute Bill · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to remove all funding appropriations and the requirement to create a specific report on moving testing to training programs. The scope was narrowed by deleting a new section that mandated testing be conducted by a specific nonprofit 'training partnership affiliate' and by removing the requirement to establish a single scope of practice for exempt workers. The bill now focuses solely on adding a general directive for the department to collaborate on a phased plan to integrate testing into training.

Scope change

The bill's scope was significantly reduced by removing provisions that created a new administrative entity ('training partnership affiliate') and a specific mandate to combine certification and exemption into a single scope of practice.

FISCAL

All appropriations of $2,000,000 and $4,500,000 for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 were deleted, removing the financial commitment to fund the testing implementation.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement to prepare a specific report by September 1, 2026, on moving testing to training programs was removed, replacing it with a general directive to collaborate on a plan.

The mandate to establish a single scope of practice for both certified home care aides and exempt long-term care workers by January 1, 2013 was removed.

The requirement that testing for individual providers must be provided by a 'training partnership affiliate' was deleted.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'training partnership affiliate' was deleted, eliminating the legal requirement to use a specific type of nonprofit corporation to administer tests.

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 12, 2026

Introduced

By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

lower

Feb 25, 2025

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 1:30 PM.

lower

Feb 21, 2025

Committee

Referred to Appropriations.

lower

Feb 19, 2025

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Postsecondary Education & Workforce at 1:30 PM.

lower

Feb 18, 2025

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Postsecondary Education & Workforce at 1:30 PM.

lower

1 primary · 4 co-sponsors