A proposal that would let some child-care operators and employees bargain collectively for increased state payments is off the table this legislative session.
Rep. Eric Pettigrew, D-Seattle, who sponsored House Bill 1329 and a similar proposal last year, says the bill will not move forward. The bill would have affected child-care center operators and employees who provide state-paid care.
Last week the bill faced a stunning defeat in the Senate when a group of Republicans and conservative Democrats approved an amendment that would shelve the proposal and instead require a study into whether collective bargaining should happen. After the Senate vote, the bill was sent to a conference committee of House and Senate lawmakers, with the hope a compromise.
Pettigrew said no compromise was reached. A spokesman for the Senate Democratic Caucus said today that lawmakers plan to work on the legislation with the goal of reintroducing it next year.
"I'm very sad," Pettigrew said. "There was hope there for a minute."