---
type: "Bill"
title: "Adjusting age requirements for accessing the early childhood education and assistance program."
description: "Adjusting age requirements for accessing the early childhood education and assistance program."
jurisdiction: "us/states/wa"
legislature: "Washington Legislature"
session: "2025-2026"
identifier: "HB 1351"
citation: "Washington HB 1351 (2025-2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Bernbaum"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 30
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2025-01-16"
last_action: "2025-05-13"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/47b67a5d-4701-4004-975e-421876186562"
source_url: "https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=1351&Year=2025&Initiative=false"
source_hash: "5483817a78c09f795a085393fbae22a9ea349bd65494b6565e04cf0b8ea8d1d9"
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 1351 (2025-2026) — Adjusting age requirements for accessing the early childhood education and assistance program.

## 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/2025-26/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1351.htm)
2. **Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2025-26/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1351-S.htm)
3. **Substitute Passed Legislature** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2025-26/Htm/Bills/House%20Passed%20Legislature/1351-S.PL.htm)

## Votes

- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#14) — **96–0** (pass) · lower
- Final Passage as Amended by the Senate (#21) — **97–0** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading & Final Passage as Amended by the Senate (#17) — **49–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Bernbaum — primary (person)
- Cortes — cosponsor (person)
- Doglio — cosponsor (person)
- Eslick — cosponsor (person)
- Hill — cosponsor (person)
- Hunt — cosponsor (person)
- Nance — cosponsor (person)
- Ormsby — cosponsor (person)
- Parshley — cosponsor (person)
- Pollet — cosponsor (person)
- Salahuddin — cosponsor (person)
- Springer — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-01-16** First reading, referred to Early Learning & Human Services. `reading-1`
- **2025-01-22** Public hearing in the House Committee on Early Learning & Human Services at 1:30 PM.
- **2025-01-31** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Early Learning & Human Services at 9:00 AM.
- **2025-01-31** ELHS - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `substitution`
- **2025-02-04** Referred to Appropriations. `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-13** Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 4:00 PM.
- **2025-02-20** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations at 4:00 PM.
- **2025-02-20** APP - Majority; do pass 1st substitute bill proposed by Early Learning & Human Services. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-02-21** Referred to Rules 2 Review. `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-28** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading. `reading-2`
- **2025-03-04** 1st substitute bill substituted (ELHS 25). `substitution`
- **2025-03-04** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2025-03-04** Third reading, passed; yeas, 96; nays, 0; absent, 0; excused, 2. `reading-3`
- **2025-03-06** First reading, referred to Early Learning & K-12 Education. `reading-1`
- **2025-03-19** Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education at 1:30 PM.
- **2025-03-27** Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education at 10:30 AM.
- **2025-03-27** EDU - Majority; do pass with amendment(s). `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-03-28** Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
- **2025-04-04** Placed on second reading by Rules Committee. `reading-2`
- **2025-04-08** Committee amendment(s) adopted with no other amendments.
- **2025-04-08** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2025-04-08** Third reading, passed; yeas, 49; nays, 0; absent, 0; excused, 0. `reading-3`
- **2025-04-22** House concurred in Senate amendments.
- **2025-04-22** Passed final passage; yeas, 97; nays, 0; absent, 0; excused, 1. `passage`
- **2025-04-23** Speaker signed. `passage`
- **2025-04-24** President signed. `passage`
- **2025-04-25** Delivered to Governor. `executive-receipt`
- **2025-05-13** Governor signed. `executive-signature`
- **2025-05-13** Chapter 253, 2025 Laws. `became-law`
- **2025-05-13** Effective date 7/1/2025*. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/47b67a5d-4701-4004-975e-421876186562`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Washington legislature records).