What's happening
This bill requires social services districts with insufficient child care funds to offer a twelve-month work exemption to parents or relatives caring for infants and mandates detailed reporting on funding shortfalls and affected families.
Why it matters
Expands parental choice and stability. By mandating a 12-month work exemption for parents or relatives caring for infants in underfunded districts, the bill allows low-income caregivers to stay home during a child’s critical first year, supporting early childhood development and family stability.
Targets equity in access. The bill specifically addresses the uneven distribution of child care resources, requiring clear procedures and reporting when districts cannot serve all eligible families, thereby highlighting and potentially reducing disparities across counties.
Enhances government accountability. With new requirements for districts to report on funding shortfalls, the number of affected families, and the ages of unserved children, the legislation increases transparency, making it easier for policymakers and the public to understand where needs are not being met.
Potential to inform future funding and policy. By gathering detailed statewide data about the unmet demand for child care assistance and the impact on families, the bill lays the groundwork for future advocacy and budget decisions aimed at expanding support for working families.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Exempt Caregivers From Work Requirement
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Print number 1938a
- Amend and recommit to finance
- Reported and committed to finance
- Referred to children and families
- Reported and committed to finance
- Referred to children and families
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Let Parents Skip Work For Childcare
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Michele Titus
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1938--A
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 11, 2017
Introduced by Sen. AVELLA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and Families -recommitted to the Committee on Children and Families in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- reported favorably from said committee and committed to the Committee on Finance -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to the twelve month work exemption for certain parents or relatives providing child care
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 410-x of the social services law, as amended by chapter 416 of the laws of 2000, is amended to read as follows:
2. (a) A social services district may establish priorities for the families which will be eligible to receive funding; provided that the priorities provide that eligible families will receive equitable access to child care assistance funds to the extent that these funds are available.
(b) A social services district shall set forth its priorities for child care assistance in the district's consolidated services plan. The commissioner of the office of children and family services shall not approve any plan that does not provide for equitable access to child care assistance funds.
(c) A social services district shall be authorized to set aside portions of its block grant allocation to serve one or more of its priority groups and/or to discontinue funding to families with lower priorities in order to serve families with higher priorities; provided that the method of disbursement to priority groups provides that eligible families within a priority group will receive equitable access to
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01047-03-8
S. 1938--A 2
child care assistance funds to the extent that these funds are available.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the commissioner in any social services district that does not have sufficient funding to serve all eligible working families under two hundred percent of the state income standard, shall offer the twelve month work exemption provided in paragraph (d) of subdivision one of section three hundred thirty-two of this chapter, to all parents or other relatives in receipt of public assistance who are personally providing care for a child under one year of age regardless of whether such parent or other relative has previously been offered an exemption under such section three hundred thirty-two. This section shall not apply to individuals who:
(i) solely participate in work activities that provide earned income; or
(ii) participate in a combination of work activities; for the portion of work activities that provide earned income.
(e) In the event that a social services district must discontinue funding to a priority group it shall notify the office of children and family services within ten days of such action, identifying the particular group affected. In the event that funding is restored, the social services district shall notify the office of children and family services within ten days of such restoration.
(f) Each social services district shall collect and submit to the commissioner of the office of children and family services in a manner to be specified by the commissioner of the office of children and family services information concerning the disbursement of child care assistance funds showing geographic distribution of children receiving assistance within the district, the number of working families who were otherwise eligible for child care assistance but who were denied because the district lacked sufficient funding to serve all eligible families and the number and age of children who could not be served as a result.
[(e)] (g) The commissioner of the office of children and family services shall submit a report to the governor, temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly on or before August thirtyfirst[, two thousand one] of every year concerning the implementation of this section. This report shall include information concerning the disbursement of child care assistance funds showing geographic distribution of children receiving assistance within the state. Beginning August thirty-first, one year after the chapter of the laws of two thousand eighteen that amended this subdivision shall take effect, and each subsequent report thereafter, such report shall also:
(i) identify the counties that have discontinued or restored funding to priority groups, as set forth in subdivision (e) of this section;
(ii) list the priority groups affected;
(iii) provide for each county for each of the twelve months covered by this report the number of working families who were otherwise eligible for child care assistance but who were denied because the district lacked sufficient funding to serve all eligible families; and
(iv) the number and age of children who could not be served as a result.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the social services law, in relation to the twelve month work exemption for certain parents or relatives providing child care
Purpose or general idea of bill
The purpose of this legislation is to allow commissioners in social services to modify the public assistance work requirements in order to increase access to affordable childcare for eligible families.
Summary of specific provisions
This bill would amend subdivision 2 of section 410-x of the social services law. Currently, New York State allows certain exemptions from work activities for recipients of temporary assistance that are a single-parent head of household. The current work exemption structure allows a single-parent who is caring for a child under the age, of one an exemption from work activities for no more than three months for any one child; although a social service official has the authority to extend: the exemption for up to 12 months on a case by case basis.
This bill would allow commissioners of social service districts the ability to offer an 12 month for exemption if the district is unable to meet the needs of income eligible working families.
Justification
Counties are required by law to provide childcare payments for public assistance recipients if such care is necessary in order for the recipi- ent to participate in mandatory work requirements. The funding source for these county payments is the New York State Child Care Block Grant (NYSCCBG.) The NYSCCBG has suffered serious cuts in the past few years leaving counties with barely enough funds to fulfill the obligation of child care to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients (TANF) and very little, if anything, left over to provide child care subsidies for low income working families.
Most counties are no longer able to serve families up to 200% Federal Poverty Level due to cuts to the childcare block grant. In order to deal with the shortage of childcare funds, counties have lowered eligibility levels, ceased taking new applications for a period of time or have discontinued the acceptance of new applications all together.
Prior legislative history
A1805A (2015-2016) Advanced to Third Reading cal. 740 5/26/16 A6839A (2013-2014) Passed assembly; delivered to senate; Referred to Social Services 03/05/14 A6839 (2013-2014) Amend and recommit to Social Services 02/28/14
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.