Senate Bill S6124

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S6124

SPONSOR: MONTGOMERY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the social services law, in relation to limiting co-pay-
ments for child care subsidies

 
PURPOSE:

This bill eliminates co-payments for any family receiving child care
assistance whose income is at or below the state income standard.  This
bill also caps the amount of co-payment a person can be held responsible
for at ten percent of their household income.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends subdivision 6 of section 410-x of the social services
law, by eliminating co-payments for those who receive child care assist-
ance and have incomes at or below the state income standard, as well as
capping such co-payments at ten percent of the household income.
              

 
EXISTING LAW:

Currently the co-payment of a family receiving child care assistance is
set by subtracting the poverty level for the household size from their
income, and then choosing a multiplier between 10 and 35 percent (deter-
mined by the locality) to apply against the balance.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Under the current system of co-payments, there are families with incomes
below the state income standard paying for child care that they cannot
afford. Further, depending on the county a family lives in, they may be
paying a significantly higher co-payment than the same size family in an
area in which the cost of living is much less.  For example, a family of
three in Yonkers at 200% of poverty, in a county where the multiplier is
33%, has a co-payment of $4,726, and will pay $2,000 a year more than a
family of the same size and income level as a family in New York: City.
This is unfair. A cap of ten percent of the household income assures
equitable treatment across the state.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2007-2008: S.3161 - Died in Committee
2006-2005: S.1298 - Died in Committee
2004-2003: S.5710 - Died in Committee

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect the first of January next succeeding the date
on which it shall have become law.