SHB 1926
In CommitteeHouse
Home care aides
Regarding training and testing of home care aides.
This status may be delayed. See Action History below for the latest updates.
How does a bill become law?
- Introduced: The bill is filed and assigned a number.
- Committee: A subject-matter committee holds hearings, takes public testimony, and decides whether to advance the bill.
- Floor Vote: The full chamber (House or Senate) debates and votes on the bill.
- Opposite Chamber: The bill repeats the committee and floor vote process in the other chamber.
- Governor: The Governor reviews the bill and decides whether to sign or veto it.
- Signed: The bill has been signed into law.
AI Analysis
This bill expands where and how home care aides can take their certification exams—allowing testing at training sites—and requires the state to study whether to fully shift testing responsibility from the Department of Health to local training programs. It also updates certification timelines, language access, and retake policies, while appropriating $6.5 million over two years to support the changes.
- By September 1, 2026, the Department of Health must submit a report to the legislature recommending whether to shift home care aide certification testing to approved training programs, including a review of test alignment with training curriculum, stakeholder input on training hours, and simplification of application materials.
- The 200-day certification deadline for new hires is replaced with a flexible deadline set by the Department of Health in consultation with the Department of Social and Health Services; also clarifies that changing employers resets the certification clock.
- Home care aide certification exams must include both a skills demonstration and a written or oral knowledge test, and may be taken during or after training; rules will allow retakes and may require remedial steps.
- Exams must be available in the applicant’s preferred language, and the Department of Health must annually review pass rates by language—conducting a translation review if a language group fails at a significantly higher rate.
- By July 1, 2028, home care aide testing must be available at qualified facility and community-based training programs, administered by contracted trainers or a designated nonprofit “training partnership affiliate.”
- If the state contracts with individual home care workers represented by a union, testing must be provided exclusively by a training partnership affiliate.
Who is affected
- Home care aides (long-term care workers) — Home care aides who must now complete certification within a timeframe set by the Department of Health (instead of a fixed 200 days), and may benefit from testing offered at training sites near them.
- Home care aide training programs — Training programs that contract with the Department of Social and Health Services may now be authorized to administer certification exams, potentially increasing their role and responsibilities.
- Consumers of home care services — Individuals receiving home care services may benefit from simplified application materials and more accessible testing, especially if they or their aides speak languages other than English.
- Training partnership affiliate (nonprofit organization) — A designated Washington nonprofit organization will receive state funding to help administer home care aide testing, expanding its role in workforce training infrastructure.
Pro/Con Analysis
Stronger case for benefits
Potential Benefits (5)
Requiring exams to be available in the applicant’s preferred language and mandating annual review of pass rates by language group with corrective translation reviews significantly improves equitable access for non-English speakers, addressing documented disparities in pass rates for immigrant and limited-English-proficient workers.
Rights & LibertiesPeopleRef: Sec. 3(3), (4)(a)Allowing exams to be taken at local training sites (including community-based and facility-based programs) and exploring remote options reduces travel burden and time costs for home care aides—many of whom are low-income, women, and people of color—making certification more accessible without job disruption.
TransportationPeopleRef: Sec. 3(3), (5)Replacing the rigid 200-day certification deadline with a flexible timeline and resetting the clock upon employer change reduces administrative barriers for workers who change jobs or face delays (e.g., due to illness, childcare), supporting job stability and reducing turnover in a critical workforce shortage sector.
Business & EmploymentPeopleRef: Sec. 2(1)Permitting skills and knowledge exams to be administered during training—not just at the end—allows for earlier feedback, remediation, and certification, improving training outcomes and reducing the time between training completion and job placement.
EducationPeopleRef: Sec. 3(3)The legislative report requirement—mandating review of test alignment with curriculum, stakeholder input on training hours, and simplification of application materials—creates accountability and transparency, with potential to improve quality and reduce fraud or misalignment in training standards.
Public SafetyPeopleRef: Sec. 1
Potential Concerns (4)
The bill appropriates $6.5 million over two years from the general fund to a single designated nonprofit organization (the “training partnership affiliate”) to administer home care aide testing, concentrating public funding and operational control in one entity without competitive bidding or oversight mechanisms specified in the bill.
FinancialIndustryRef: Sec. 5By mandating that union-represented individual home care workers must use a single contracted nonprofit for testing, the bill effectively excludes other qualified testing providers (e.g., community colleges, local training programs) from serving this segment of the workforce, reducing competition and potentially limiting innovation or cost efficiency.
Business & EmploymentIndustryRef: Sec. 4(1)Replacing the fixed 200-day certification deadline with a discretionary timeline set by agencies may delay certification for some workers, potentially extending the period during which un-certified workers provide care—though the bill includes emergency flexibility provisions, the lack of a hard deadline reduces accountability.
Public SafetyLean industryRef: Sec. 2(1)The requirement that testing be available at training sites by 2028 may strain local community colleges and training programs that lack infrastructure or staffing to host exams, especially in rural areas—though the bill authorizes contracted trainers, it does not provide additional funding for site readiness or capacity expansion.
Local GovernmentLean industryRef: Sec. 3(5)
Who Is Most Affected
Low-wage, often female, immigrant home care aides—many working multiple jobs—will benefit from reduced travel, language access, and flexible timelines. These changes directly reduce barriers to certification and job retention, improving livelihoods and service continuity for vulnerable workers.
Community-based and facility training programs gain authority to administer exams, potentially increasing their role and revenue—but only if they contract with the state. Small, rural, or under-resourced programs may still be excluded unless they partner with the designated nonprofit, limiting equitable access to expanded roles.
Consumers (often seniors or people with disabilities) may benefit from more reliable access to certified aides due to reduced certification delays, but also face risk if the centralized model reduces competition and innovation in training quality or responsiveness.
The designated nonprofit (training partnership affiliate) will receive $6.5M over two years and gain a permanent role in state workforce certification infrastructure—likely a mid-to-large statewide nonprofit with existing government contracts (e.g., United Way, SEIU-backed groups). This concentration of funding and authority benefits that specific entity more than smaller competitors.