Establishes a child care availability taskforce to evaluate the need for and availability of child care throughout the state and requires such taskforce to report on its findings and recommendations annually.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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7726--A
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 11, 2017
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Introduced by M. of A. JAFFEE, LUPARDO, MAYER, JENNE, HUNTER, WEINSTEIN,
PHEFFER AMATO, JEAN-PIERRE, WALLACE, SEAWRIGHT, ZEBROWSKI, LIFTON,
DE LA ROSA, SIMON, GJONAJ, WILLIAMS, ABINANTI, SIMOTAS, ORTIZ, D'URSO,
PEOPLES-STOKES -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. BRAUNSTEIN, COOK,
ENGLEBRIGHT, HYNDMAN -- read once and referred to the Committee on
Children and Families -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing a
child care availability taskforce to evaluate the need for and avail-
ability of child care throughout the state
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section
2 390-k to read as follows:
3 § 390-k. Child care availability taskforce. 1. There shall be estab-
4 lished within the office of children and family services a child care
5 taskforce for the purpose of evaluating the need for and availability of
6 child care throughout the state.
7 2. The taskforce shall be chaired by the commissioners of the office
8 of children and family services and the office of temporary and disabil-
9 ity assistance, or their designees. Members of the taskforce shall serve
10 without compensation for three year terms, but may be reimbursed for
11 actual costs incurred for participation on such taskforce. Ensuring
12 adequate geographic representation, members of the taskforce shall be
13 appointed by the governor and comprised as follows:
14 (a) two individuals shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the
15 speaker of the assembly, at least one of whom shall be a parent who has
16 utilized subsidized child care;
17 (b) two individuals shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the
18 temporary president of the senate, at least one of whom shall be a
19 parent who has utilized subsidized child care;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11372-03-7
A. 7726--A 2
1 (c) two representatives of a child care resource and referral agency;
2 (d) two representatives of home-based child care providers;
3 (e) two representatives of center-based child care providers; and
4 (f) two representatives from the business community.
5 3. The taskforce shall examine the following:
6 (a) access to subsidized child care, including the percentage of the
7 eligible population receiving a child care subsidy;
8 (b) cost of care for families eligible for but not receiving a child
9 care subsidy;
10 (c) availability of child care for non-traditional work hours;
11 (d) whether parents are voluntarily leaving the workforce due to lack
12 of affordable or accessible child care, and the demographic information
13 of such parents;
14 (e) whether employers have identified lack of child care as a reason
15 for a shortage of a qualified workforce;
16 (f) the impact of child care, or lack thereof, on economic development
17 throughout the state;
18 (g) varying levels of quality of care throughout the state;
19 (h) ways to address concerns identified in paragraphs (a) through (g)
20 of this subdivision; and
21 (i) anything else the taskforce deems necessary.
22 4. The taskforce shall report its findings and recommendations in
23 accordance with subdivision three of this section to the speaker of the
24 assembly and the temporary president of the senate no later than Decem-
25 ber thirty-first, two thousand seventeen, and annually thereafter.
26 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
