SF2562 Summary

• Removes the requirement that child care fund distribution be limited by available appropriations, allowing the commissioner to distribute money to counties based on need rather than budget constraints.

• Increases maximum provider reimbursement rates from the 25th percentile to the 50th percentile of the most recent biennial child care provider rate survey, effective July 1, 2016.

• Expands eligibility for child care assistance to include foster families caring for children five years of age or younger to support employment, job search, or respite care.

• Removes the residency requirement for student parents seeking child care assistance, allowing eligibility regardless of whether their county has a basic sliding fee waiting list.

• Directs the Commissioner of Management and Budget to include basic sliding fee child care assistance program obligations in state revenue and expenditure forecasts beginning with the November 2016 forecast.