Senate Committee Substitute

SCS/SB 625 - This act provides that the Children's Division within the Department of Social Services shall develop rules to become effective by July 1, 2010, modifying the income eligibility criteria for any person receiving state-funded child care assistance, either through vouchers or direct reimbursement to child care providers.

Eligible child care recipients under state law and regulation may pay a fee based on adjusted gross income and family size unit based on a child care sliding scale fee established by the Children's Division, which is subject to appropriations. However, a person receiving state-funded child care assistance whose income surpasses the annual appropriation level may continue to receive reduced subsidy benefits on a scale established by the Children's Division, at which time such person will have assumed the full cost of the maximum base child care subsidy benefits. "Annual appropriation level" is defined as the percentage of the federal poverty level for the applicable family size necessary to be eligible for the child care subsidy as determined by annual appropriation.

The sliding scale fee may be waived for children with special needs as established by the division. The maximum payment by the division shall be the applicable rate minus the applicable fee.

These provisions are similar to SS/SCS/SB 94 (2009), SCS/SB 776 (2008) and SCS/SB 260 and 71 (2007).

ADRIANE CROUSE


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