Democratic bills would reduce oversight of Department of Children, Youth and Families, bar release of public records affecting daycare facilities
OLYMPIA – As reports of fraud in Minnesota daycare programs prompt inquiries in other states, Washington lawmakers are considering legislation that would reduce public scrutiny of daycare and other social services, a Republican state senator complains.
Sen. Leonard Christian, R-Spokane Valley, is pushing back with Senate Bill 6020, which would rename an independent public oversight board at the Department of Children, Youth and Families as the “DCYF Social Club.”
“If the Legislature wants to turn the board into something toothless, we ought to be honest in we call it,” said Christian, ranking member on the Senate Human Services Committee.
Christian is raising concerns about two bills introduced by legislative Democrats that could hinder public inquiry into daycare programs and other social services offered by the state agency.
“We can’t say there is any direct connection between these two bills and the Minnesota daycare scandal,” Christian said, noting that both measures were in the works before the story broke. “But there is never a good time for Olympia to pass legislation that makes it harder to get at the truth.”
The bills are:
- Senate Bill 5926, which would exempt state-subsidized daycares from certain public records requirements, making it more difficult for the public to obtain information about daycares and their owners. The bill was introduced on Dec. 22 by Sen. Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island, four days before the Minnesota story went viral.
- Senate Bill 5942, which would change the name of the DCYF Oversight Board to the DCYF Accountability Board – and at the same time, eliminate oversight responsibilities over the troubled state agency. The bill was introduced on Dec. 26 by Sen. Claire Wilson, D-Federal Way, the same day the story surfaced in Minnesota.
The daycare issue was propelled into the news the day after Christmas when an independent citizen journalist in Minnesota posted video on YouTube of Somali-operated daycare facilities that appear to be dark and vacant even as they receive state funding. Federal officials followed by attempting to freeze Medicaid funding for daycare in five states pending investigation, and public furor has led media in other states to investigate. In Washington, media outlets found possible indications of fraud, but Democratic elected officials quickly branded inquiry as racist and urged citizens to report news media queries to a hate-crimes hotline.
Christian, a member of the DCYF Oversight Board, said the name-change bill has been under discussion for months and thus cannot have been motivated by the Minnesota scandal. However, Christian said he was surprised to see that the bill weakens the board by eliminating its oversight authority over the department’s performance and policy. The bill also eliminates the board’s authority to request investigations of DCYF from an independent investigatory office.
“They call it ‘modernization,’ but by eliminating important oversight responsibilities this legislation removes an important tool to ensure the agency is accountable to the public,” he said.
Christian said he hopes his bill will receive a hearing in the 2026 legislative session. Washington lawmakers convened their 2026 session in Olympia Monday, and it is set to run 60 days.