Connecticut 2024 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00152 Latest Draft

Bill / Comm Sub Version Filed 03/25/2024

                             
 
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General Assembly  Raised Bill No. 152  
February Session, 2024 
LCO No. 659 
 
 
Referred to Committee on EDUCATION  
 
 
Introduced by:  
(ED)  
 
 
 
AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE OFFICE 
OF EARLY CHILDHOOD.  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Section 10-514 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024): 2 
(a) Not later than January 1, 2020, the Office of Early Childhood shall 3 
create a one-page document that (1) lists important developmental 4 
milestones experienced by children ages birth to five years, and (2) 5 
contains notice that any parent or guardian who is concerned that such 6 
parent or guardian's child has not met one or more such developmental 7 
milestones may access the Office of Early Childhood Child 8 
Development Infoline for information concerning appropriate services. 9 
The office shall make such document available on its Internet web site. 10 
(b) On and after [February 1, 2020] July 1, 2024, each operator of a 11 
child care center, group child care home or family child care home, as 12 
described in section 19a-77, other than those centers or homes that serve 13 
school-age children exclusively, shall post a copy of the document 14  Bill No. 152 
 
 
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developed pursuant to subsection (a) of this section in a conspicuous 15 
place on the premises of such child care center, group child care home 16 
or family child care home. 17 
Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 17b-749 of the 2024 supplement to the 18 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 19 
thereof (Effective July 1, 2024): 20 
(a) The Commissioner of Early Childhood shall establish and operate 21 
a child care subsidy program to increase the availability, affordability 22 
and quality of child care services for families with a parent or caretaker 23 
who (1) is (A) working or attending high school, or (B) subject to the 24 
provisions of subsection (d) of this section, is enrolled or participating 25 
in (i) a public or independent institution of higher education, (ii) a 26 
private career school authorized pursuant to sections 10a-22a to 10a-22o, 27 
inclusive, (iii) a job training or employment program administered by a 28 
regional workforce development board, (iv) an apprenticeship program 29 
administered by the Labor Department's office of apprenticeship 30 
training, (v) an alternate route to certification program approved by the 31 
State Board of Education, (vi) an adult education program pursuant to 32 
section 10-69 or other high school equivalency program, or (vii) a local 33 
Even Start program or other adult education program approved by the 34 
Commissioner of Early Childhood; or (2) receives cash assistance under 35 
the temporary family assistance program from the Department of Social 36 
Services and is participating in an education, training or other job 37 
preparation activity approved pursuant to subsection (b) of section 17b-38 
688i or subsection (b) of section 17b-689d. Services available under the 39 
child care subsidy program shall include the provision of child care 40 
subsidies for children under the age of thirteen or children under the 41 
age of nineteen with special needs. The Commissioner of Early 42 
Childhood may institute a protective service class in which the 43 
commissioner may waive eligibility requirements for at -risk 44 
populations that meet the guidelines prescribed by the commissioner, 45 
and subject to review by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and 46 
Management. Such at-risk populations are children placed in a foster 47  Bill No. 152 
 
 
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home by the Department of Children and Families and for whom the 48 
parent or legal guardian receives foster care payments, [adopted] 49 
children under the care of a caregiver who is a recipient of subsidies 50 
under the subsidized guardianship program pursuant to section 17a-51 
126, children adopted through the Department of Children and Families 52 
for one year from the date of adoption and homeless children and 53 
youths, as defined in 42 USC 11434a, as amended from time to time. The 54 
Office of Early Childhood shall open and maintain enrollment for the 55 
child care subsidy program and shall administer such program within 56 
the existing budgetary resources available. The office shall issue a notice 57 
on the office's Internet web site any time the office closes the program to 58 
new applications, changes eligibility requirements, changes program 59 
benefits or makes any other change to the program's status or terms, 60 
except the office shall not be required to issue such notice when the 61 
office expands program eligibility. Any change in the office's acceptance 62 
of new applications, eligibility requirements, program benefits or any 63 
other change to the program's status or terms for which the office is 64 
required to give notice pursuant to this subsection, shall not be effective 65 
until thirty days after the office issues such notice. 66 
Sec. 3. Subsection (h) of section 17b-749 of the 2024 supplement to the 67 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 68 
thereof (Effective July 1, 2024): 69 
(h) [On or after July 1, 2014, the commissioner shall adopt regulations, 70 
in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to implement the 71 
provisions of this section] On and after July 1, 2024, the commissioner 72 
shall implement the provisions of 45 CFR 98, as amended from time to 73 
time, to administer the child care subsidy program. The commissioner 74 
shall develop policies and procedures necessary to implement the 75 
provisions of this section. 76 
Sec. 4. (Effective July 1, 2024) Notwithstanding the provisions of 77 
chapter 54 of the general statutes, sections 17b-749-01 to 17b-749-23, 78 
inclusive, of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies are repealed. 79  Bill No. 152 
 
 
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Sec. 5. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2024) (a) As used in this section: 80 
(1) "Early intervention services" has the same meaning as provided in 81 
section 17a-248 of the general statutes; and 82 
(2) "Individualized family service plan" has the same meaning as 83 
provided in section 17a-248 of the general statutes. 84 
(b) A licensed child care center, group child care home or family child 85 
care home, as such terms are described in section 19a-77 of the general 86 
statutes, shall allow a child who has an individualized family service 87 
plan and is eligible for the birth-to-three program, established under 88 
section 17a-248b of the general statutes, to receive early intervention 89 
services at such child care center, group child care home or family child 90 
care home from the service provider designated in such individualized 91 
family service plan. 92 
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 July 1, 2024 10-514 
Sec. 2 July 1, 2024 17b-749(a) 
Sec. 3 July 1, 2024 17b-749(h) 
Sec. 4 July 1, 2024 New section 
Sec. 5 July 1, 2024 New section 
 
ED Joint Favorable