Olympia – On Thursday, Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law Senate Bill 5838, sponsored by state Sen. T’wina Nobles (D-Fircrest), to address a diaper need for Washington families who are on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) after the bill passed nearly unanimously from the Legislature.
“We have a paramount duty to ensure the safety and health of our communities,” said Nobles. “As a result of the skyrocketing prices of diapers, Washington families and children have been burdened with cost for a necessity.”
The Diaper Need Act directs a monthly diaper subsidy to be distributed by the Department of Social and Health Services to parents and caregivers who receive TANF and have children under the age of three years old to help pay for diapers.
Currently, parents and guardians unable to provide disposable diapers for their children have been unable to access childcare, impeding their ability to go to work or attend school. Many early childcare programs, except for early Head Start, require an adequate supply of diapers for child attendance.
The act takes effect Nov. 1, 2023.
