A bill sponsored by state Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, seeking to increase safety for children removed from a parent due to abuse, neglect or abandonment received a public hearing on Friday in the state House Human Services, Youth and Early Learning Committee.
The Oakley Carlson Act, also known as House Bill 1397, is named after Oakville girl Oakley Carlson, who vanished after being removed from her foster parents and returned to her birth parents. The last confirmed sighting of Carlson was on Feb. 10, 2021, when she was 5 years old. Her biological parents claim they last saw Carlson on Nov. 30, 2021. She was declared missing in December 2021. Since Carlson’s disappearance, her biological parents — Andrew Carlson and Jordan Bowers — have fallen under legal scrutiny, including charges related to Carlson’s disappearance that were later dropped and an investigation into their treatment of their other children that led to jail time. Bowers was most recently arrested as she left a corrections facility on new charges of identity theft.
Walsh argued that if the reforms included in his bill had been in place two years ago, Carlson would not be missing today.
"I'm encouraged and energized by the powerful testimony in today's committee hearing. We heard from real people, with relevant experience in caring for this state's most vulnerable children: foster parents, guardians ad litem, and family members. They offered real-world insights about the urgent need for reform at the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF),” Walsh said.
Among those who testified in support of the bill before the House committee were Jamie Jo Hiles, Carlson’s foster mother, who was the first to testify. According to Walsh’s statement on the hearing, the speakers shared a common theme that DCYF needs to be reformed so it protects at-risk children more effectively.
"House Bill 1397 is the best tool available for implementing reforms," Walsh said. “We even heard acknowledgement from representatives of DCYF employees today that, if the measure's reforms are adequately funded, they could support the bill and its aims. The fiscal note provided on the bill just hours before this morning's hearing gives us some indication of what 'adequately funded' means. And it moves the discussion of the project in a more fiscal direction. With nearly one child a month dying or going missing under DCYF's care, the agency needs reforms like the Oakley Carlson Act. The agency must put the best interest of children first. The Oakley Carlson Act helps DCYF do that. Those reforms will prevent Washington's most vulnerable children from going missing or being killed by troubled parents.”
Walsh said the Oakley Carlson Act will continue moving through the legislative process and claimed supporters are “just getting warmed up” in their efforts to pass the bill.
“With their help, I will use every method available in Olympia to keep this bill moving forward," Walsh said.
