HB 29 Budget Bill.

Chief patron: Torian

Summary as introduced:
Budget Bill. Amends Chapter 2 of the Acts of Assembly of 2022, Special Session I, as amended by Chapter 769 of the Acts of Assembly of 2023, as further amended by Chapter 1 of the Acts of Assembly of 2023, Special Session I,

02/28/24 Senate: Conferees appointed by Senate
02/28/24 Senate: Senators: Lucas, Deeds, Locke, Boysko, McDougle, Pillion
03/09/24 House: Conference report agreed to by House (62-Y 37-N)
03/09/24 House: VOTE: Adoption (62-Y 37-N)
03/09/24 Senate: Conference report agreed to by Senate (36-Y 4-N)

HB 30 Budget Bill.

Chief patron: Torian

Summary as introduced:
Budget Bill. Provides for all appropriations of the Budget submitted by the Governor of Virginia in accordance with the provisions of § 2.2-1509 of the Code of Virginia, and provides a portion of revenues for the two years ending respectively on the thirtieth day of June 2025 and the thirtieth day of June 2026.

02/28/24 Senate: Conferees appointed by Senate
02/28/24 Senate: Senators: Lucas, Deeds, Locke, Boysko, McDougle, Pillion
03/09/24 Senate: Conference report agreed to by Senate (24-Y 14-N)
03/09/24 House: Conference report agreed to by House (62-Y 37-N)
03/09/24 House: VOTE: Adoption (62-Y 37-N)

HB 146 Early childhood care and education; publicly funded providers, exemption from licensure.

Chief patron: Tata

Summary as introduced:

Early childhood care and education; publicly funded providers; exemption from licensure for certain child day programs. Excepts military child care fee assistance or any child care subsidy paid by a branch of the Armed Forces of the United States from the federal funds that would otherwise render a child day program as a "publicly funded provider," as that term is defined and used in relevant law relating to early childhood care and education. The bill also exempts from licensure by the Superintendent of Public Instruction any child day program that (i) serves only dependent children of military personnel and (ii) (a) is located on a military base or federal property or (b) is certified as a family child care provider by a branch of the Armed Forces of the United States and provides that any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States or its agent, including an installation commander of a military base on which a child day program is located, may assume responsibility for approving or determining which children may be served by the program that is so exempted from licensure. This bill was incorporated into HB 739.

01/02/24 House: Referred to Committee on Education
01/17/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB146)
01/19/24 House: Assigned Education sub: Early Childhood
01/31/24 House: Subcommittee recommends incorporating (HB739-Sewell)
02/05/24 House: Incorporated by Education (HB739-Sewell)

HB 177 Federal Early Intervention Program for Infants & Toddlers w/Disabilities; reimbursement rates.

Chief patron: Gardner

Summary as introduced:
Department of Medical Assistance Services; reimbursement rates for Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities; work group; report. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to assess and make recommendations related to reimbursement rates for the federal Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities. The bill requires the work group to report its recommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1, 2024.

01/16/24 House: Reported from Health and Human Services (22-Y 0-N)
01/16/24 House: Referred to Committee on Appropriations
01/17/24 House: Assigned App. sub: Health & Human Resources
02/02/24 House: Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (8-Y 0-N)
02/13/24 House: Left in Appropriations

HB 222 Child day centers operated by religious institutions; exemption from licensure.

Chief patron: Orrock

Summary as introduced:
Child day centers operated by religious institutions; exemption from licensure by Superintendent of Public Instruction. Exempts fully from the statutory requirement to be licensed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction any child day center that is operated or conducted under the auspices of a religious institution that (i) has tax exempt status as a nonprofit religious institution in accordance with § 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, or (ii) owns and exclusively occupies real property that is exempt from local taxation. Under current law, such child day centers are exempt from licensure but are still subject to several enumerated requirements. The bill, however, preserves the requirement for such child day centers to conduct background checks for employees and volunteers and prohibits the employment or service at such child day centers of any such individual who has been convicted of any barrier crime as defined in relevant law or who is the subject of a founded complaint of child abuse or neglect.

01/18/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB222)
01/19/24 House: Assigned Education sub: Early Childhood
01/23/24 House: House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
01/24/24 House: Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (6-Y 2-N)
02/13/24 House: Left in Education

HB 281 Child day programs; use of office buildings, waiver of zoning requirements.

Chief patron: Reaser

Summary as introduced:

Early childhood care and education; child day programs; use of office buildings; waiver of zoning requirements. Permits any locality to by ordinance provide for the waiver of any requirements for zoning permits for the operation of a child day program in an office building, as defined by the bill, provided that such facility satisfies the requirements for state licensure as a child day program. This bill is identical to SB 13.

02/27/24 House: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB281ER)
02/27/24 House: Signed by Speaker
03/01/24 Senate: Signed by President
03/11/24 House: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 11, 2024
03/11/24 Governor: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 8, 2024

HB 358 Voluntary Registration Health and Safety Checklist; DOE to update.

Chief patron: Simonds

Summary as passed House:

Voluntarily registered family day homes; safe sleep practices; checklist. Requires the Department of Education to update its Voluntary Registration Health and Safety Checklist for any voluntarily registered family day home to include safe sleep practices.

02/29/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB358ER)
02/29/24 House: Signed by Speaker
03/03/24 Senate: Signed by President
03/11/24 House: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 11, 2024
03/11/24 Governor: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 8, 2024

HB 372 Child Care Implementation and Substitute Employee Pool Grant Program; established.

Chief patron: Martinez

Summary as introduced:
Department of Education; Child Care Implementation and Substitute Employee Pool Grant Program established. Requires the Department of Education, with such funds as may be appropriated for such purpose pursuant to the general appropriation act, to establish and administer the Child Care Implementation and Substitute Employee Pool Grant Program whereby any (i) existing child day program provider or group of such providers may apply for a grant, on a competitive basis, for the establishment of a substitute employee pool that, notwithstanding the provisions of relevant law relating to the disclosure of the results of background checks, enables such provider or providers to ensure efficient and effective staffing with qualified employees or (ii) prospective child day program may apply for a grant, on a competitive basis, to cover costs associated with implementing such program.

01/06/24 House: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24101994D
01/06/24 House: Referred to Committee on Appropriations
01/17/24 House: Assigned App. sub: Elementary & Secondary Education
01/29/24 House: Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2025
01/31/24 House: Continued to 2025 in Appropriations

HB 407 Child Care Subsidy Program; categorical eligibility for certain families.

Chief patron: Hernandez

Summary as passed House:

Child Care Subsidy Program; categorical eligibility for certain families. Provides that any family that receives public assistance through Medicaid or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children shall be deemed to categorically satisfy income eligibility requirements to receive assistance through the Child Care Subsidy Program.

03/05/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB407ER)
03/05/24 House: Signed by Speaker
03/07/24 Senate: Signed by President
03/11/24 House: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 11, 2024
03/11/24 Governor: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 8, 2024

HB 408 Child Care Subsidy Program vendors; basis for periodic reimbursement.

Chief patron: Hernandez

Summary as introduced:
Child Care Subsidy Program vendors; basis for periodic reimbursement. Requires the Department of Education to periodically reimburse child care providers that are vendors through the Child Care Subsidy Program on the basis of authorized child enrollment but provides that if any such enrolled child is absent from the provider for 10 or more days during one month, the Department shall periodically reimburse such provider on the basis of such child's attendance.

01/22/24 House: Referred to Committee on Appropriations
01/23/24 House: Assigned App. sub: Elementary & Secondary Education
01/25/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB408)
01/29/24 House: Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2025
01/31/24 House: Continued to 2025 in Appropriations

HB 419 Early childhood care and education system; need- and demand-based funding.

Chief patron: Bulova

Summary as passed House:

Early childhood care and education system; need-based and demand-based funding; educator incentive; nonreverting fund to capture unspent early childhood care and education funding balances. Requires the Department of Education to (i) annually project and report the state general funds needed for the upcoming two fiscal years, based on a cost of quality rate per child, in order to maintain the current number of slots, increase the number of slots using a growth rate differential based on enrollment and parent demand growth in prior biennia, and increase the number of slots to fully accommodate parent demand and eliminate waitlists at early childhood care and education sites; (ii) administer an early childhood educator incentive program to be known as RecognizeB5 whereby a monetary incentive is provided to teachers who work directly with children for at least 30 hours per week at early childhood care and education sites that participate in the uniform measurement and improvement system known as VQB5, with the exception of teachers who are employed by local school boards; and (iii) administer and make distributions, for the purpose of providing certain early childhood care and education services, from the Early Childhood Care and Education Fund established in the bill, to which all balances of state general funds intended for the provision of services to families at early childhood care and education sites that are unspent at the end of each fiscal year are required to be credited instead of reverting to the general fund.

03/08/24 Senate: Passed by temporarily
03/08/24 Senate: Passed by for the day
03/08/24 House: Conference report agreed to by House (90-Y 4-N)
03/08/24 House: VOTE: Adoption (90-Y 4-N)
03/09/24 Senate: Conference report agreed to by Senate (39-Y 1-N)

HB 475 Child care; background checks for applicants for employment, etc.

Chief patron: Coyner

Summary as introduced:
Child care; background checks. Allows applicants for employment and applicants to serve as volunteers to work in certain child day centers, family day homes, and family day systems pending the results of a full background check, provided that (i) the applicant has received qualifying results on a fingerprint-based background check through the Central Criminal Records Exchange or the Federal Bureau of Investigation and (ii) the applicant is supervised at all times by a person who received a qualifying result on a full background check within the past five years.

01/08/24 House: Referred to Committee on Education
01/16/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB475)
01/19/24 House: Assigned Education sub: Early Childhood
01/24/24 House: Subcommittee recommends incorporating (HB1277-Laufer)
01/29/24 House: Incorporated by Education (HB1277-Laufer)

HB 508 Child day program employees and volunteers; background checks, dissemination of information.

Chief patron: Cohen

Summary as introduced:

Department of Education; background checks for child day program employees and volunteers; dissemination of information in certain circumstances. Requires the Department of Education, upon receiving a written request for a written certification from an individual, to provide written certification to an entity designated by the Department that provides staffing for child day programs that such individual satisfies all requirements set forth in relevant law and is eligible to serve as an employee, temporary employee, or volunteer in a child day program. The bill further provides that (i) each such written certification shall also state the date by which the individual is required to complete a new background check in accordance with the periodic requirement for such background checks, (ii) no such written certification shall reveal the nature of any disqualifying barrier crime committed by or founded complaint of child abuse or neglect against the individual, and (iii) any such written certification may be shared among child day programs for the purpose of facilitating the creation and maintenance of a child day program substitute staff pool system.

02/29/24 House: Signed by Speaker
03/03/24 Senate: Signed by President
03/04/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB508ER)
03/11/24 House: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 11, 2024
03/11/24 Governor: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 8, 2024

HB 535 Early childhood care and education; comprehensive review of certain findings and recommendations.

Chief patron: Keys-Gamarra

Summary as introduced:
Division of Early Childhood Care and Education; Department of Education; comprehensive review of certain findings and recommendations relating to the quality of early childhood care and education in the Commonwealth; report. Requires the Division of Early Childhood Care and Education of the Department of Education, in consultation with the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation and such other stakeholders as it deems appropriate, to (i) conduct a comprehensive review of the findings and recommendations contained in the 2017 report of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, Improving Virginia's Early Childhood Development Programs, to determine what barriers, gaps, and deficiencies continue to exist in the provision of high-quality early childhood education and care in the Commonwealth, with a particular focus on gaps and deficiencies in the ongoing monitoring of Virginia Preschool Initiative program quality, including the collection and analysis of data relating to outcomes and kindergarten readiness, and (ii) report its findings and any associated policy recommendations to the Board of Education, the Governor, and the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2024.

01/08/24 House: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24101851D
01/08/24 House: Referred to Committee on Education
01/19/24 House: Assigned Education sub: Early Childhood
01/31/24 House: Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2025
02/05/24 House: Continued to 2025 in Education

HB 537 Home Visiting Program; established, report.

Chief patron: Cole

Summary as introduced:
Home Visiting Program established; report. Establishes the Home Visiting Program within the Department of Social Services to support pregnant people and parents with young children that face greater risks and barriers to achieving positive maternal and child health outcomes. The bill directs the Department to operate in accordance with the Virginia Plan for Home Visiting established by Early Impact Virginia, a consortium of government and private entities. The purpose of the Program is to (i) promote the health and wellbeing of pregnant people and parents, (ii) improve infant and child health and development, (iii) strengthen family functioning, (iv) promote school readiness, (v) reduce child maltreatment, (vi) promote economic mobility, and (vii) cultivate strong communities. The bill requires the Department to report biennially to the Governor and the General Assembly on outcomes for Program participants.

01/25/24 House: Referred to Committee on Appropriations
01/25/24 House: Assigned App. sub: Health & Human Resources
01/29/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB537H1)
02/02/24 House: Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (8-Y 0-N)
02/13/24 House: Left in Appropriations

HB 627 Early childhood care; Child Care Subsidy Program expansion, provision of free child care.

Chief patron: Bennett-Parker

Summary as introduced:
Early childhood care; Child Care Subsidy Program expansion; provision of free child care to certain child care provider employees. Requires the Child Care Subsidy Program, established pursuant to applicable regulations, to be expanded to assist employees of any licensed child care provider in the Commonwealth with the costs of child care by providing any such employee who meets the eligibility criteria set forth in the bill child care at no cost to and with no copayment required of such employee. The bill directs the Board of Education to adopt any regulations and the Department of Education to implement any policies and procedures necessary for the implementation and administration of the provisions of the bill.

01/09/24 House: Referred to Committee on Appropriations
01/17/24 House: Assigned App. sub: Elementary & Secondary Education
01/25/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB627)
01/29/24 House: Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2025
01/31/24 House: Continued to 2025 in Appropriations

HB 739 Early childhood care and education; exemption from licensure for certain child day programs.

Chief patron: Sewell

Summary as passed House:

Early childhood care and education; exemption from licensure for certain child day programs. Exempts from licensure by the Superintendent of Public Instruction any child day program that (i) serves only dependent children of military personnel and (ii) (a) is located on a military base or federal property or (b) is certified as a family child care provider by a branch of the Armed Forces of the United States and provides that any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States or its agent, including an installation commander of a military base on which a child day program is located, may assume responsibility for approving or determining which children may be served by the program that is so exempted from licensure. This bill incorporates HB 146 and is identical to SB 702.

02/22/24 House: Signed by Speaker
02/25/24 Senate: Signed by President
03/01/24 House: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 1, 2024
03/01/24 Governor: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 8, 2024
03/08/24 Governor: Approved by Governor-Chapter 49 (effective 7/1/24)

HB 984 Early childhood care & education; expansion of Head Start prog. availability at community colleges.

Chief patron: Tran

Summary as introduced:
Early childhood care and education; expansion of Head Start program availability at comprehensive community colleges; work group. Requires the Department of Education and the Virginia Community College System to convene a stakeholder work group to evaluate and provide recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education by October 1, 2024, on expanding the availability of Head Start programs at comprehensive community colleges.

01/24/24 House: House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
01/24/24 House: Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (6-Y 2-N)
01/31/24 House: Reported from Education (17-Y 5-N)
01/31/24 House: Referred to Committee on Rules
02/13/24 House: Left in Rules

HB 1024 Virginia Preservice Training for Child Care Staff; Department of Education shall review course.

Chief patron: Wilt

Summary as passed House:

Department of Education; Virginia Preservice Training for Child Care Staff course; relevancy review. Requires the Department of Education to review its Virginia Preservice Training for Child Care Staff course for appropriateness based on the age range of children served by staff who are required to complete such course and to consider excluding portions of such course that are solely relevant to providing care for students in a certain age range for staff whose duties do not include the care of children in such age range.

03/08/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB1024ER)
03/08/24 House: Signed by Speaker
03/09/24 Senate: Signed by President
03/11/24 House: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 11, 2024
03/11/24 Governor: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 8, 2024

HB 1216 Employee Child Care Assistance Pilot Program; established, report.

Chief patron: McClure

Summary as passed House:

Employee Child Care Assistance Pilot Program. Establishes the Employee Child Care Assistance Pilot Program (the Program) to provide matching funds to in order to incentivize employers to contribute to the child care costs of their employees. The Program shall be administered by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (the Foundation). To participate in the Program, an employer shall agree to make child care contributions to the eligible mixed-delivery provider on behalf of the employee and shall provide any other information deemed necessary by the Foundation. To the extent funds are available, the Foundation shall issue a state match directly to such eligible mixed-delivery provider or to a third-party administrator. Program funds shall be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, however the Foundation is encouraged to prioritize awards to small businesses.

02/06/24 House: VOTE: Passage (87-Y 8-N)
02/07/24 Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed
02/07/24 Senate: Referred to Committee on Finance and Appropriations
02/13/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB1216H1)
03/09/24 Senate: Left in Finance and Appropriations

HB 1277 Child care; background checks.

Chief patron: Laufer

Summary as passed House:

Child care; background checks. Allows applicants for employment and applicants to serve as volunteers to work in certain child day centers, family day homes, and family day systems pending the results of a full background check, provided that (i) the applicant has received qualifying results on a fingerprint-based background check through the Central Criminal Records Exchange or the Federal Bureau of Investigation and (ii) the applicant is supervised at all times by a person who received a qualifying result on a full background check within the past five years.

02/29/24 House: Signed by Speaker
03/03/24 Senate: Signed by President
03/04/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB1277ER)
03/11/24 House: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 11, 2024
03/11/24 Governor: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 8, 2024

HB 1375 Early childhood care and education; publicly funded providers.

Chief patron: Gardner

Summary as passed House:

Early childhood care and education; publicly funded providers. Provides that any locality wishing to participate in the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) must submit a proposal by May 15 of each year identifying a lead VPI agency responsible for developing a local plan for the delivery of preschool services to at-risk children. A local match based on the composite index of local ability to pay is required to fund such a proposal. The proposal must include the number of at-risk four-year-olds and three-year-olds to be served and eligibility criteria for participation. Upon acceptance, the Department will disburse state VPI funds to the lead VPI agency in such localities, which may be used with local matching funds to provide preschool education, health services, social services, parental involvement services, and transportation. The Department must establish academic standards for VPI programs that prepare students to successfully enter kindergarten. Full day VPI programs must operate for a minimum of five and a half instructional hours per day, while half day VPI programs operate for a minimum of three instructional hours per day. The bill requires the Department of Education to collect information from VPI and the Mixed Delivery Grant Program to compile a comprehensive report on the use of state funds, including the number of slots and funding allocated to each local program or provider and the number of slots that have been filled.

The bill codifies the Child Care Subsidy Program, which is currently established pursuant to regulations of the Board of Education, for the purpose of assisting families who meet certain eligibility criteria with the cost of child care provided by approved vendors. The bill requires the Child Care Subsidy Program to be overseen by the Department of Education and permits the Department to contract with state and local agencies to administer the Program. The bill requires the Department and Board of Education, as applicable, to establish rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and standards for the Program.

The bill also codifies the Mixed Delivery Grant Program, which is currently established pursuant to the general appropriation act, for the purpose of awarding grants on a competitive basis to local public entities that enter into partnerships with local private early childhood care and education entities and other community organizations, as applicable, to provide, under the direction and leadership of a lead agency identified in the grant proposal, high-quality care and education, either part time or full time, for at-risk infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children who reside in the locality. The bill requires the Mixed Delivery Grant Program to be administered by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation in partnership with the Department of Education and, consistent with any provisions relating to the Program in the general appropriation act, requires the Foundation and the Department to establish policies, procedures, and standards for the Program.

02/13/24 House: VOTE: Passage (90-Y 9-N)
02/14/24 Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed
02/14/24 Senate: Referred to Committee on Finance and Appropriations
02/26/24 House: Impact statement from DPB (HB1375H1)
02/27/24 Senate: Continued to 2025 in Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)

SB 29 Budget Bill.

Chief patron: Lucas

Summary as introduced:
Budget Bill. Amends Chapter 2 of the Acts of Assembly of 2022, Special Session I, as amended by Chapter 769 of the Acts of Assembly of 2023, as further amended by Chapter 1 of the Acts of Assembly of 2023, Special Session I.

02/22/24 Senate: Passed Senate (38-Y 2-N)
02/26/24 House: Placed on Calendar
02/26/24 House: Read first time
02/26/24 House: Referred to Committee on Appropriations
03/05/24 House: Left in Appropriations

SB 30 Budget Bill.

Chief patron: Lucas

Summary as introduced:
Budget Bill. Provides for all appropriations of the Budget submitted by the Governor of Virginia in accordance with the provisions of § 2.2-1509 of the Code of Virginia, and provides a portion of revenues for the two years ending respectively on the thirtieth day of June 2025 and the thirtieth day of June 2026.

02/22/24 Senate: Passed Senate (38-Y 2-N)
02/26/24 House: Placed on Calendar
02/26/24 House: Read first time
02/26/24 House: Referred to Committee on Appropriations
03/05/24 House: Left in Appropriations

SB 54 Early childhood care and education system; need- and demand-based funding.

Chief patron: Locke

Summary as passed Senate:
Early childhood care and education system; publicly funded providers; funding; Early Childhood Care and Education Fund established. Requires, for the purpose of addressing family demand and preferences for affordable, high-quality early childhood care and education services, state general funds to be provided to support the provision of services to families for early childhood care and education, as specified in the general appropriations act. The bill requires the Department of Education to report each year by November 1 on the projected general funds needed for the upcoming two fiscal years in order to (i) maintain the current number of slots at early childhood care and education programs, (ii) increase the number of slots using a projected growth report, and (iii) increase the number of slots to fully accommodate parent demand and eliminate waitlists. The bill requires such projected general funds to be based on the annual per-child cost, determined as set forth in the bill, for the Virginia Preschool Initiative, the Mixed Delivery Program, and the Child Care Subsidy Program, the current eligibility criteria for such programs, and maximization of certain regularly recurring federal funds. The bill requires each regional entity established by the Board of Education pursuant to applicable law, each local school division, and each locality to annually indicate the number of slots needed, respectively, in the region for the Mixed Delivery Program, the local school division for the Virginia Preschool Initiative, and the locality for the Child Care Subsidy Program. The bill requires the Department of Education to (a) reallocate by July 1 any slots with available funding from the Child Care Subsidy Program and the Mixed Delivery Program, (b) make adjustments based on family preferences following the fall enrollment periods, (c) first expend all current-year state general funds in providing funding for slots, and (c) if waitlists for slots at early childhood care remain, use available funds from the Early Childhood Care and Education Fund established by the bill to address family demand and preferences.

03/08/24 Conference: Amended by conference committee
03/08/24 Senate: Conference substitute printed 24109104D-S3
03/08/24 Senate: Conference report agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N)
03/08/24 House: Conference report agreed to by House (93-Y 3-N)
03/08/24 House: VOTE: Adoption (93-Y 3-N)

SB 75 Early childhood care and education; publicly funded providers, exemption from licensure.

Chief patron: Durant

Summary as introduced:
Early childhood care and education; publicly funded providers; exemption from licensure for certain child day programs. Excepts military child care fee assistance or any child care subsidy paid by a branch of the Armed Forces of the United States from the federal funds that would otherwise render a child day program as a "publicly funded provider," as that term is defined and used in relevant law relating to early childhood care and education. The bill also exempts from licensure by the Superintendent of Public Instruction any child day program that (i) serves only dependent children of military personnel and (ii) (a) is located on a military base or federal property or (b) is certified as a family child care provider by a branch of the Armed Forces of the United States and provides that any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States or its agent, including an installation commander of a military base on which a child day program is located, may assume responsibility for approving or determining which children may be served by the program that is so exempted from licensure. This bill was incorporated by SB 702.

12/28/23 Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24103164D
12/28/23 Senate: Referred to Committee on Education and Health
01/17/24 Senate: Impact statement from DPB (SB75)
01/30/24 Senate: Assigned Education and Health Sub: Public Education
02/08/24 Senate: Incorporated by Education and Health (SB702-Subramanyam) (15-Y 0-N)

SB 76 Child day centers operated by religious institutions; exemption from licensure.

Chief patron: Durant

Summary as introduced:
Child day centers operated by religious institutions; exemption from licensure by Superintendent of Public Instruction. Exempts fully from the statutory requirement to be licensed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction any child day center that is operated or conducted under the auspices of a religious institution that (i) has tax exempt status as a nonprofit religious institution in accordance with § 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, or (ii) owns and exclusively occupies real property that is exempt from local taxation. Under current law, such child day centers are exempt from licensure but are still subject to several enumerated requirements. The bill, however, preserves the requirement for such child day centers to conduct background checks for employees and volunteers and prohibits the employment or service at such child day centers of any such individual who has been convicted of any barrier crime as defined in relevant law or who is the subject of a founded complaint of child abuse or neglect.

01/16/24 Senate: Rereferred from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)
01/16/24 Senate: Rereferred to Education and Health
01/18/24 Senate: Impact statement from DPB (SB76)
01/30/24 Senate: Assigned Education and Health Sub: Public Education
02/08/24 Senate: Passed by indefinitely in Education and Health (9-Y 5-N 1-A)

SB 702 Early childhood care and education; exemption from licensure.

Chief patron: Subramanyam

Summary as passed Senate:

Early childhood care and education; exemption from licensure for certain child day programs. Exempts from licensure by the Superintendent of Public Instruction any child day program that (i) serves only dependent children of military personnel and (ii) (a) is located on a military base or federal property or (b) is certified as a family child care provider by a branch of the Armed Forces of the United States and provides that any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States or its agent, including an installation commander of a military base on which a child day program is located, may assume responsibility for approving or determining which children may be served by the program that is so exempted from licensure. This bill incorporates SB 75 and is identical to HB 739.

03/05/24 Senate: Impact statement from DPB (SB702ER)
03/05/24 House: Signed by Speaker
03/07/24 Senate: Signed by President
03/11/24 Senate: Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 11, 2024
03/11/24 Governor: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 8, 2024

Counts: HB: 22 SB: 6