Provides that a social services district may implement an income eligibility standard for recipients of child care block grant funds when such district projects that allocated funds will be insufficient to open all eligible non-guaranteed cases; sets the income eligibility standards.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10520
IN ASSEMBLY
March 6, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. MAHER -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Children and Families
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to directing local
social services districts to implement an income eligibility standard
when available child care block grant funding is nearing exhaustion
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 410-x of the social services law,
2 as amended by chapter 416 of the laws of 2000, is amended to read as
3 follows:
4 1. (a) A social services district shall expend its allocation from the
5 block grant in a manner that provides for equitable access to child care
6 assistance funds to eligible families, and in accordance with the appli-
7 cable provisions in federal law regarding the portion of the funds which
8 must be spent on families in receipt of family assistance, families who
9 are attempting through work activities to transition off of family
10 assistance and families at-risk of becoming dependent on family assist-
11 ance and the portion which must be spent on other working low-income
12 families. Each social services district may spend no more than five
13 percent of its block grant allocation for administrative activities. The
14 term "administrative activities" shall not include the costs of provid-
15 ing direct services.
16 (b) When a social services district projects that allocated child care
17 block grant funds will be insufficient to open all eligible non-guaran-
18 teed cases, the district may promulgate and implement an income eligi-
19 bility standard for recipients, provided such district shall continue to
20 ensure priority populations, as identified by the office of children and
21 family services in 18 NYCRR 415.2, have access to child care assistance.
22 For the first month that a social services district projects that allo-
23 cated child care block grant funds will be insufficient to open all
24 eligible non-guaranteed cases, such income eligibility standard for
25 recipients shall be no higher than three hundred percent of the federal
26 poverty level. For the second month that a social services district
27 projects that allocated child care block grant funds will be insuffi-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14465-01-6
A. 10520 2
1 cient to open all eligible non-guaranteed cases, such income eligibility
2 standard for recipients shall be no higher than two hundred fifty
3 percent of the federal poverty level. For the succeeding month and any
4 months thereafter, the social services district may reduce such income
5 eligibility standard by increments of twenty-five percent until such
6 standard reaches one hundred seventy-five percent of the federal poverty
7 level.
8 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
