Voters will likely decide home-care training level

by Joe Turner

Tacoma News Tribune, 28 June 08

Washington voters probably will have to referee another conflict between the Legislature and a union that represents thousands of state-paid workers, because their dispute is likely headed for the November ballot.

The dispute is embodied in Initiative 1029, which would require criminal background checks and training for home-care aides who dress, bathe and feed people whose age or disabilities prevent them from doing those chores by themselves.

Supporters of the measure say they will turn in more than 300,000 petition signatures on Thursday. That’s well beyond the 224,880 signatures required to win a spot on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

There’s no dispute over whether such workers should be screened for criminal activities before they’re certified by the state. Nor is there disagreement over whether those workers should get more training to better care for their charges.

In fact, the Legislature nearly passed a bill earlier this year that would have required both. But last-minute maneuvering derailed the bill.

At the core of the dispute is this: How much money should the state spend to train home-care aides?

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