NY State Senate Bill 2021-S9282

Senate Bill S9282

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Relates to establishing a child care and early childhood education innovation program; appropriation

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 12, 2022	referred to finance

2021-S9282 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Finance
Law Section:: Appropriations
Laws Affected:: Add §410-bbb, Soc Serv L; add §99-pp, St Fin L

2021-S9282 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes a child care and early childhood education innovation program and fund to award grants to increase the economic viability and sustainability of child care businesses; makes an appropriation.

2021-S9282 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S9282

SPONSOR: SERINO
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing the
child care and early childhood education innovation program; to amend
the state finance law, in relation to establishing the child care and
early childhood education innovation fund; and making an appropriation
therefor

 
PURPOSE:

To bolster child care and early childhood education in New York State.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Adds a new section to the Social Services Law to establish
the Child Care and Early Childhood Education Innovation Program under
the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). The program shall
identify, develop and support projects that accelerate the start-up and
expansion of licensed child care businesses, are designed to increase

employment retention of child care workers, are to collaborate on child
care solutions with employers to improve productivity, recruitment, and
retention of their working families, are designed to increase economic
viability and sustainability of child care businesses, and grant awards
to such projects. Such grants shall be for both for-profit and not-for-
profit projects, local government projects, and, to the greatest extent
practicable, be granted uniformly throughout both rural and urban areas
of the state.

Section 2: Adds a new section to the State Finance Law to establish a
Child Care and Early Childhood Education Innovation Fund under the joint
custody of OCFS and the New York State Comptroller. Monies of such fund
shall be expended only for the purposes of grant awards pursuant to
section 1 of this act, and shall be payable on the audit and warrant of
the Comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the Commissioner
of OCFS. Provides that, the Commissioner of OCFS, to the extent practi-
cable, shall ensure all moneys received during the fiscal year are
expended prior to the end of the fiscal year.

Section 3: Appropriates the sum of $5 million for the purpose of carry-
ing out the provisions of this act.

Section 4: Provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

A recent survey by McKinsey & Company and Marshall Plan for Moms found
that approximately half of mothers of young children who left the work
force did so, at least in part, due to child care availability or
expenses. Furthermore, of the more than 1,000 workers that participated
in this survey, more than 80% of both women and men with children under
5 years of age and younger indicated that child care benefits would "be
a very important or somewhat important factor in deciding whether to
stay at their current employer or switch employers."

Parents' access to affordable, quality child care has been a longstand-
ing issue, however the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the issue tremen-
dously and left many day care centers struggling to keep their doors
open-all at a time when many schools were closed and parents were even
more desperate for child care options to enable them to work. With more
than half of Americans living in a child care desert, and only 6% of
hourly workers surveyed having access to emergency back-up care, the
need for bolstering child care in New York State is all the more urgent.

This legislation is part of a package of bills meant to bolster child
care options in New York State by establishing the Child Care and Early
Childhood Education Innovation Program, under the Office of Children and
Family Services (OCFS), and a Child Care and Early Childhood Education
Innovation Fund, under joint custody of OCFS and the New York State
Comptroller, to identify, develop, and support projects to accelerate
the start-up and expansion of licensed child care businesses, increase
employment retention of child care workers, collaborate on child care
solutions with employers, increase economic viability and sustainability
of child care businesses, and grant awards to such projects.

By ensuring New York parents have reliable access to affordable, quality
child care, we can not only empower parents to return to, or remain in,
the work force, but provide a critical investment into our future gener-
ations of New Yorkers.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

$5 million, or so much thereof as may be necessary.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2021-S9282 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9282
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 12, 2022
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  SERINO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
 
 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing the
   child care and early childhood education innovation program; to  amend
   the  state finance law, in relation to establishing the child care and
   early childhood education innovation fund; and making an appropriation
   therefor
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section
 410-bbb to read as follows:
   §  410-BBB.  CHILD  CARE  AND  EARLY  CHILDHOOD  EDUCATION  INNOVATION
 PROGRAM.   1. THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES SHALL ESTABLISH
 A CHILD CARE AND EARLY  CHILDHOOD  EDUCATION  INNOVATION  PROGRAM.  SUCH
 PROGRAM SHALL:
   (A)  IDENTIFY, DEVELOP AND SUPPORT PROJECTS THAT ACCELERATE THE START-
 UP AND EXPANSION OF LICENSED CHILD CARE BUSINESSES;
   (B) IDENTIFY,  DEVELOP  AND  SUPPORT  PROJECTS  THROUGHOUT  THE  STATE
 DESIGNED  TO  INCREASE  THE  EMPLOYMENT RETENTION OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE
 EMPLOYED AS CHILD CARE WORKERS;
   (C) IDENTIFY, DEVELOP AND SUPPORT PROJECTS  THROUGHOUT  THE  STATE  TO
 COLLABORATE  ON  CHILD  CARE  SOLUTIONS  WITH  EMPLOYERS  TO IMPROVE THE
 PRODUCTIVITY, RECRUITMENT, AND RETENTION OF THEIR WORKING FAMILIES;
   (D) IDENTIFY,  DEVELOP  AND  SUPPORT  PROJECTS  THROUGHOUT  THE  STATE
 DESIGNED  TO INCREASE THE ECONOMIC VIABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF CHILD
 CARE BUSINESSES; AND
   (E) GRANT AWARDS PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION,  SUBJECT
 TO  APPROPRIATION, TO THE CHILD CARE AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION INNO-
 VATION FUND ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO SECTION NINETY-NINE-PP OF THE  STATE
 FINANCE LAW.
   2.  THE  OFFICE  OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES SHALL GRANT AWARDS TO
 PROJECTS IDENTIFIED OR DEVELOPED PURSUANT TO  SUBDIVISION  ONE  OF  THIS
 SECTION.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD15852-01-2

 S. 9282                             2
 
   3. AWARDS GRANTED PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION SHALL BE
 GRANTED  FOR  BOTH FOR-PROFIT AND NOT-FOR-PROFIT PROJECTS, LOCAL GOVERN-
 MENT PROJECTS, AND, TO  THE  GREATEST  EXTENT  PRACTICABLE,  BE  GRANTED
 UNIFORMLY THROUGHOUT BOTH RURAL AND URBAN AREAS OF THE STATE.
   4.  THE  COMMISSIONER OF THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES IS
 AUTHORIZED TO PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS NECESSARY FOR THE  IMPLE-
 MENTATION OF THIS SECTION.
   § 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 99-pp to
 read as follows:
   §  99-PP. CHILD CARE AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION INNOVATION FUND. 1.
 THERE IS HEREBY ESTABLISHED IN THE JOINT CUSTODY OF THE COMMISSIONER  OF
 THE  OFFICE  OF  CHILDREN  AND  FAMILY  SERVICES  AND THE COMPTROLLER, A
 SPECIAL FUND TO BE KNOWN AS THE "CHILD CARE AND EARLY  CHILDHOOD  EDUCA-
 TION INNOVATION FUND".
   2.  SUCH  FUND  SHALL CONSIST OF ALL MONIES APPROPRIATED, CREDITED, OR
 TRANSFERRED THERETO FROM ANY OTHER  FUND  OR  SOURCE  PURSUANT  TO  LAW.
 NOTHING CONTAINED IN THIS SECTION SHALL PREVENT THE STATE FROM RECEIVING
 GRANTS,  GIFTS,  OR BEQUESTS FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE FUND, AS DEFINED IN
 THIS SECTION, AND DEPOSITING THEM INTO THE FUND ACCORDING TO LAW.
   3. MONIES OF THE FUND SHALL BE  EXPENDED  ONLY  FOR  THE  PURPOSES  OF
 GRANTING  AWARDS  PURSUANT TO SECTION FOUR HUNDRED TEN-BBB OF THE SOCIAL
 SERVICES LAW.
   4. MONIES OF THE FUND SHALL BE PAYABLE ON THE AUDIT AND WARRANT OF THE
 COMPTROLLER ON VOUCHERS APPROVED AND CERTIFIED BY  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF
 THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES.
   5.  TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE, THE COMMISSIONER OF THE OFFICE OF CHIL-
 DREN AND FAMILY SERVICES SHALL ENSURE THAT ALL MONIES RECEIVED DURING  A
 FISCAL YEAR ARE EXPENDED PRIOR TO THE END OF THAT FISCAL YEAR.
   §  3. The sum of five million dollars ($5,000,000), or so much thereof
 as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated from any monies in the state
 treasury in the general fund to the credit of the state purposes account
 not otherwise appropriated to the child care and early childhood  educa-
 tion  innovation  fund  for the purposes of granting awards by the child
 care and early childhood education innovation program  in  carrying  out
 the  provisions  of this act. Such sum shall be payable on the audit and
 warrant of the state comptroller on vouchers certified  or  approved  in
 the manner provided by law.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

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