---
type: "Bill"
title: "Creating the department of children, youth, and families."
description: "Creating the department of children, youth, and families."
jurisdiction: "us/states/wa"
legislature: "Washington Legislature"
session: "2017-2018"
identifier: "HB 1661"
citation: "Washington HB 1661 (2017-2018)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["GOVERNOR", "EARLY LEARNING", "DEPARTMENT", "STATE AGENCIES AND DEPARTMENTS", "CHILDREN", "SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES", "DEPARTMENT", "DOMESTIC RELATIONS"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Kagi"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 61
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2017-01-26"
last_action: "2017-07-06"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/f5af4092-5940-41fa-bb6b-683977a21f67"
source_url: "http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1661&year=2017"
source_hash: "4d72997f1fd86a84d2baf542fb1220acf4cbaf116a0c5c9dcf422fb883064d17"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-wa"]
---

# Washington HB 1661 (2017-2018) — Creating the department of children, youth, and families.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2017-18/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1661.htm)
2. **Engrossed Second Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2017-18/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1661-S2.E.htm)
3. **Second Engrossed Second Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2017-18/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1661-S2.E2.htm)
4. **Second Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2017-18/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1661-S2.htm)
5. **Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2017-18/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1661-S.htm)

## Votes

- Final Passage (#1) — **77–17** (pass) · lower
- Final Passage (#2) — **77–19** (pass) · lower
- Final Passage (#13) — **72–22** (pass) · lower
- Final Passage (#11) — **69–23** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#28) — **42–7** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Kagi — primary (person)
- Appleton — cosponsor (person)
- Bergquist — cosponsor (person)
- Clibborn — cosponsor (person)
- Dent — cosponsor (person)
- Fey — cosponsor (person)
- Fitzgibbon — cosponsor (person)
- Frame — cosponsor (person)
- Goodman — cosponsor (person)
- Hargrove — cosponsor (person)
- Hudgins — cosponsor (person)
- Kilduff — cosponsor (person)
- Klippert — cosponsor (person)
- Kloba — cosponsor (person)
- Lovick — cosponsor (person)
- Lytton — cosponsor (person)
- Macri — cosponsor (person)
- Muri — cosponsor (person)
- Ortiz-Self — cosponsor (person)
- Orwall — cosponsor (person)
- Pollet — cosponsor (person)
- Robinson — cosponsor (person)
- Sells — cosponsor (person)
- Senn — cosponsor (person)
- Slatter — cosponsor (person)
- Stanford — cosponsor (person)
- Sullivan — cosponsor (person)
- Wilcox — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2017-01-26** First reading, referred to Early Learning & Human Services (Not Officially read and referred until adoption of Introduction report). `reading-1`
- **2017-02-14** ELHS - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `passage`
- **2017-02-14** Minority; do not pass.
- **2017-02-14** Minority; without recommendation.
- **2017-02-17** Referred to Appropriations.
- **2017-02-24** APP - Majority; 2nd substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `passage`
- **2017-02-24** Minority; do not pass.
- **2017-02-24** Referred to Rules 2 Review.
- **2017-03-08** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading.
- **2017-03-15** 2nd substitute bill substituted. `substitution`
- **2017-02-14** ELHS - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `passage`
- **2017-02-14** Minority; do not pass.
- **2017-02-14** Minority; without recommendation.
- **2017-02-17** Referred to Appropriations.
- **2017-02-24** APP - Majority; 2nd substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `passage`
- **2017-02-24** Minority; do not pass.
- **2017-02-24** Referred to Rules 2 Review.
- **2017-03-08** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading.
- **2017-03-15** 2nd substitute bill substituted. `substitution`
- **2017-02-24** APP - Majority; 2nd substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `passage`
- **2017-02-24** Minority; do not pass.
- **2017-02-24** Referred to Rules 2 Review.
- **2017-03-08** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading.
- **2017-03-15** 2nd substitute bill substituted. `substitution`
- **2017-03-15** Floor amendment(s) adopted.
- **2017-03-15** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.
- **2017-03-15** Third reading, passed; yeas, 77; nays, 19; absent, 0; excused, 2. `reading-3`
- **2017-03-17** First reading, referred to Human Services, Mental Health & Housing. `reading-1`
- **2017-03-29** HSMH - Majority; do pass with amendment(s).
- **2017-03-29** And refer to Ways & Means. `referral-committee`
- **2017-03-29** Minority; do not pass.
- **2017-03-29** Referred to Ways & Means.
- **2017-04-23** By resolution, returned to House Rules Committee for third reading.
- **2017-04-24** By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
- **2017-05-01** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on third reading.
- **2017-05-02** Third reading, passed; yeas, 69; nays, 23; absent, 0; excused, 6. `reading-3`
- **2017-05-05** First reading, referred to Human Services, Mental Health & Housing. `reading-1`
- **2017-05-23** By resolution, returned to House Rules Committee for third reading.
- **2017-05-23** By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
- **2017-05-23** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on third reading.
- **2017-05-25** Third reading, passed; yeas, 72; nays, 22; absent, 0; excused, 4. `reading-3`
- **2017-05-29** First reading, referred to Ways & Means. `reading-1`
- **2017-06-21** By resolution, returned to House Rules Committee for third reading.
- **2017-06-21** By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
- **2017-06-23** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on third reading.
- **2017-06-29** Rules suspended.
- **2017-06-29** Returned to second reading for amendment.
- **2017-06-29** Floor amendment(s) adopted.
- **2017-06-29** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.
- **2017-06-29** Third reading, passed; yeas, 77; nays, 17; absent, 0; excused, 4. `reading-3`
- **2017-06-30** First Reading.
- **2017-06-30** Rules suspended.
- **2017-06-30** Placed on second reading.
- **2017-06-30** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.
- **2017-06-30** Third reading, passed; yeas, 42; nays, 7; absent, 0; excused, 0. `reading-3`
- **2017-06-30** Speaker signed. `passage`
- **2017-06-30** President signed. `passage`
- **2017-07-03** Delivered to Governor.
- **2017-07-06** Governor signed. `executive-signature`
- **2017-07-06** Chapter 6, 2017 Laws 3rd Special Session. `became-law`
- **2017-07-06** Effective date 10/19/2017*. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/f5af4092-5940-41fa-bb6b-683977a21f67`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Washington legislature records).