Oklahoma House Bill HB1613

Oklahoma 2022 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/1/21
• Refer: 2/2/21

Caption

Child care; requiring child care reimbursement to be based on enrollment and daily attendance; effective date; emergency.

Impact

HB1613 has significant implications for the administration of child care services in the state. By aligning reimbursement rates with both enrollment and attendance, the bill endeavors to enhance the sustainability of child care providers. The Department of Human Services is tasked with conducting an annual market rate survey to comply with federal funding requirements, ensuring that reimbursements reflect the 75th percentile of the market. This could potentially lead to improved quality of care and service provision in the child care sector.

Summary

House Bill 1613 focuses on reforming the way child care providers receive reimbursement in Oklahoma. Under this bill, authorized child care facilities are mandated to receive payments based on a combination of enrollment figures and daily attendance. Specifically, the reimbursement would consist of 50% of the payment based on enrollment and 50% based on actual daily attendance. This shift aims to create a more structured and predictable payment system for child care providers, ensuring they are financially supported based on their current operational metrics.

Contention

While the bill is designed to streamline payment practices, it also raises concerns regarding the stricter attendance requirements, particularly the provision that children may lose their eligibility for child care subsidies after ten consecutive days of non-attendance without prior approval. Critics may argue that this aspect could adversely affect families who occasionally need to withdraw their children from care, thus leading to uncertainty in the availability of these public benefits. The balance between operational support for facilities and the needs of families can create tension surrounding the bill's implementation.