Malnutrition bill passes WA House

OLYMPIA – House Bill 1274, a bill to help prevent child malnutrition, passed the Washington House unanimously Saturday.

“While a child malnutrition field guide seems like a small step, it's a step we can take right now to ensure that when these state agent visits happen, they can take immediate action. No longer can anyone have the excuse that they didn't know what child malnutrition looks like,” said Representative Travis Couture (R-Allyn), in a release by his office.

The release states that the bill is designed to assist Child Protective Service agents in being able to identify the signs of child malnutrition and prevent future tragedies. If passed, the bill would direct the Department of Children, Youth and Families, in consultation with the Department of Health, to create a child malnutrition field guide for their staff.

The field guide must be concise but provide references to additional comprehensive and trauma-informed resources for department staff to access if needed, be easily accessible by department staff, describe how to identify signs of child malnutrition, include appropriate questions to ask the child and others close to the child when child malnutrition is suspected, including the appropriate next steps department staff may take when child malnutrition is suspected and include any additional information the department deems relevant.

The release states that the bill was inspired by the death of a 15-year-old boy named Karreon Franks. He died of starvation in November 2020, six days after he and his malnourished siblings were visited by a CPS agent. At the time of his death, he weighed only 70 pounds.

"What happened to Karreon Franks must never be allowed to happen to any child in our state ever again," said Couture, R-Allyn.

This is the first bill of Couture’s to pass out of the House and now heads to the Senate for consideration.