Day care service providers have experienced major problems in both the availability and affordability of liability insurance. Premiums for such insurance policies have recently grown as much as five hundred percent and the availability of such insurance in Washington markets has greatly diminished.

     The availability of quality day care is essential to achieving such goals as increased workforce productivity, family self-sufficiency, and protection for children at risk due to poverty and abuse. The unavailability of adequate liability insurance threatens to decrease the availability of day care services.

     This chapter is intended to remedy the problem of unavailable liability insurance for day care services by requiring all insurers authorized to write commercial or professional liability insurance to be members of a joint underwriting association created to provide liability insurance for day care services.

[1986 c 141 § 1.]