Caldier bills seek to cut through expensive bureaucratic regulations to help Key Peninsula residents

Rep. Michelle Caldier is advancing legislation to break through excessive regulations that have prevented Key Peninsula residents from locating a child care center in a local church and forced unnecessary and expensive upgrades to a small community water system.

Caldier says strict building codes often preclude child care centers in readily compatible buildings.

“In rural Key Peninsula, we have only one child care center that operates outdoors because they could not get approval for a building. One of the local churches offered to host a child care center but was told they would have to install a new 500-thousand-dollar sprinkler system, which they can’t afford,” said Caldier, R-Gig Harbor. “If you took those same children, put them into the same room in the church, and called it ‘Bible Study,’ that would be acceptable under the state building code. But call it a ‘child care center,” and, all of a sudden, a massive amount of bureaucratic regulations then apply.”

House Bill 1582 would clear the way for child care centers to be located in existing buildings with other uses, such as churches, without expensive upgrades. The measure is under consideration in the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee.

The House Environment and Energy Committee approved a bill sponsored by Caldier on Tuesday that would allow the South Head Water Association to continue serving 12 homes on its water well system without expensive upgrades.

Since the 1980s, South Head Water has been designated as a Group B system, a classification for small water systems.

Association President Jack Dunne told the committee on Feb. 3 that a county building permit was denied because more than 10 houses are connected to the water system. He then learned of a Department of Health policy designating home occupancy at two-and-a-half people each. Dunne said this could force South Head Water to be reclassified into the more expensive Group A water system, even though only nine residents use the public well regularly.

“Nobody benefits from this reclassification. It’s only a regulatory change. Nobody has improved service. The water quality is great, tested all the time as a Group B system. It just adds cost,” said Dunne.

House Bill 1615 would prohibit a default number of people served per connection if it would cause a Class B system to be reclassified as a Group A system.

“These are small but significant ways that I can help our local community overcome excessive and expensive regulatory issues that negatively impact their lives,” said Caldier.