Dear friends and neighbors,

In 2015, I worked closely with our Children’s Justice Center and children’s advocates to address an inequity in the way suspected child abuse victims are assisted in our state. At that time, suspected victims of child sexual abuse were able to access the state’s Victim’s Compensation Fund for payment of their specialized medical examinations; however, suspected child victims of physical abuse were unable to access that same support to pay the cost of their medical examinations.

I sponsored legislation to have the state cover examination costs for any children suspected of having been abused regardless of the nature of the abuse. The need for such legislation is critical — if we fear a child has been abused, it’s important to investigate and make sure we stop or prevent future abuse. We also need to ensure that such evaluations don’t add to the trauma or stress a child or their family may already have suffered.

The bill passed in 2015 with overwhelming bipartisan support, but in 2019, the law expired. At that time, we passed a budget proviso to extend funding through 2020, but now that funding has also expired. That’s why I’m sponsoring Senate Bill 5814 this year to address this issue once and for all by making the funding permanent for all potential children suspected of having been  abused.

To make sure there are no barriers between children and the protection they deserve, this legislation would direct the Department of Labor & Industries to cover all examination costs for children and to provide annual reports on child abuse cases to the Legislature and the governor.

The annual reports must include:

  • the number of requests to pay for physical abuse exams for child victims of felony-level assault;
  • how many such requests are approved and denied, including reasons for
    denial;
  • how many exams were covered for another reason; and
  • any other information the agency considers relevant.

This bill was approved unanimously by the Senate Human Services, Reentry & Rehabilitation Committee last Thursday and has now advanced to the Senate Ways & Means Committee.

I am grateful for the many professionals and advocates in this community who brought this issue forward and have partnered with me over the years to continue working to ensure that all children receive the support they need. This is one of so many examples of our community leading the way in our state. All our children across Washington deserve no less than speedy approval and the restoration of the funds necessary to protect them.