OH HB647

Authorizes the Attorney General to investigate and prosecute criminal or civil violations related to Ohio's publicly funded child care program upon request from the Governor, legislature, or state agency directors, with exclusive control over such investigations and access to asset forfeiture provisions

Expands grounds for summary suspension of child care provider licenses to include suspected misuse of public funds or intent to commit fraud against the publicly funded child care program

Shifts child care payment calculations from enrollment-based to attendance-based by removing the July 2028 deadline for enrollment-based payments, and eliminates the exemption allowing families to use multiple providers for non-traditional hours

Strengthens the Department of Children and Youth's authority to withhold payments, recover funds, or terminate contracts when providers are suspected of fraud or misuse of public dollars, with all department decisions exempt from administrative appeals

Reduces the Child Care Cred Program appropriation from $10 million to $5 million in FY2026 and eliminates funding entirely in FY2027, while allocating $2 million (FY2026) and $3 million (FY2027) for data analytics to conduct automated attendance reviews of child care providers