---
type: "Bill"
title: "Increasing access to the working connections child care program."
description: "Increasing access to the working connections child care program."
jurisdiction: "us/states/wa"
legislature: "Washington Legislature"
session: "2023-2024"
identifier: "SB 5225"
citation: "Washington SB 5225 (2023-2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["C. Wilson"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 39
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2023-01-10"
last_action: "2023-05-01"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/3c05e9c2-836e-4067-bbf9-3cc649a65768"
source_url: "http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5225&year=2023"
source_hash: "e1029dff71fdb0c0ba430074ef9c1e0137be548e70f69a13e2836f07e291f16e"
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 SB 5225 (2023-2024) — Increasing access to the working connections child care 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/2023-24/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5225.htm)
2. **Second Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5225-S2.htm)
3. **Second Substitute Passed Legislature** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Passed%20Legislature/5225-S2.PL.htm)
4. **Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5225-S.htm)

## Votes

- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#5) — **36–13** (pass) · upper
- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#18) — **81–16** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- C. Wilson — primary (person)
- Conway — cosponsor (person)
- Frame — cosponsor (person)
- Hasegawa — cosponsor (person)
- Hunt — cosponsor (person)
- Keiser — cosponsor (person)
- Lovelett — cosponsor (person)
- Nguyen — cosponsor (person)
- Salomon — cosponsor (person)
- Shewmake — cosponsor (person)
- Stanford — cosponsor (person)
- Valdez — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-10** First reading, referred to Early Learning & K-12 Education. `reading-1`
- **2023-01-25** Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education at 1:30 PM.
- **2023-02-01** Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education at 1:30 PM.
- **2023-02-01** EDU - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `substitution`
- **2023-02-01** And refer to Ways & Means. `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-01** Minority; do not pass. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2023-02-02** Referred to Ways & Means. `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-20** Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 9:00 AM.
- **2023-02-22** Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.
- **2023-02-22** WM - Majority; 2nd substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `substitution`
- **2023-02-22** Minority; do not pass. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2023-02-22** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2023-02-23** Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
- **2023-03-01** Placed on second reading by Rules Committee. `reading-2`
- **2023-03-03** 2nd substitute bill substituted (WM 23). `substitution`
- **2023-03-03** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2023-03-03** Third reading, passed; yeas, 36; nays, 13; absent, 0; excused, 0. `reading-3`
- **2023-03-06** First reading, referred to Human Services, Youth, & Early Learning. `reading-1`
- **2023-03-14** Public hearing in the House Committee on Early Learning & Human Services at 1:30 PM.
- **2023-03-17** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Early Learning & Human Services at 8:30 AM.
- **2023-03-17** HSEL - Majority; do pass. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-17** Minority; do not pass. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2023-03-17** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2023-03-21** Referred to Appropriations. `referral-committee`
- **2023-04-01** Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 9:00 AM.
- **2023-04-04** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations at 9:00 AM.
- **2023-04-04** APP - Majority; do pass. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-04-04** Minority; do not pass. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2023-04-04** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2023-04-04** Referred to Rules 2 Review. `referral-committee`
- **2023-04-06** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading. `reading-2`
- **2023-04-11** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2023-04-11** Third reading, passed; yeas, 81; nays, 16; absent, 0; excused, 1. `reading-3`
- **2023-04-12** President signed. `passage`
- **2023-04-14** Speaker signed. `passage`
- **2023-04-18** Delivered to Governor. `executive-receipt`
- **2023-05-01** Governor signed. `executive-signature`
- **2023-05-01** Chapter 222, 2023 Laws. `became-law`
- **2023-05-01** Effective date 7/23/2023*. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/3c05e9c2-836e-4067-bbf9-3cc649a65768`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Washington legislature records).