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| 2 | 2 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1330 FILED ON: 1/16/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 372 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Adam Gomez |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act creating a Disproportionate Share Childcare Provider Fund. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Adam GomezHampden 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1330 FILED ON: 1/16/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 372 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Mr. Gomez, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 372) of Adam Gomez for legislation |
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| 19 | 19 | | to create a disproportionate share childcare provider fund. Education. |
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| 20 | 20 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
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| 21 | 21 | | SEE SENATE, NO. 284 OF 2023-2024.] |
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| 22 | 22 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 23 | 23 | | _______________ |
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| 24 | 24 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 26 | 26 | | _______________ |
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| 27 | 27 | | An Act creating a Disproportionate Share Childcare Provider Fund. |
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| 28 | 28 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 29 | 29 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 30 | 30 | | 1 SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary there shall be |
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| 31 | 31 | | 2established under the Department of Early Education and Care a new fund to be known as the |
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| 32 | 32 | | 3“Disproportionate Share Childcare Provider Fund”. This fund shall provide supplemental |
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| 33 | 33 | | 4funding to certain eligible childcare provider agencies which care for a disproportionate number |
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| 34 | 34 | | 5of high risk children and which meet the criteria set forth in Section 3 of this act. |
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| 35 | 35 | | 6 SECTION 2. On an annual basis not less than fifty percent of licensing fees collected by |
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| 36 | 36 | | 7the Department of Early Education and Care shall be deposited into the Disproportionate Share |
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| 37 | 37 | | 8Childcare Provider Fund established in Section 1 of this act. |
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| 38 | 38 | | 9 SECTION 3. Childcare provider agencies which meet the following criteria shall be |
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| 39 | 39 | | 10eligible for supplemental funding from the Disproportionate Share Childcare Provider Fund: 2 of 2 |
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| 40 | 40 | | 11 (a) Be an agency which offers center based, family and after school early education and |
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| 41 | 41 | | 12care programs with a licensed capacity of over 150 children; and |
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| 42 | 42 | | 13 (b) Have at least 95% of their capacity serving children whose families live at or below |
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| 43 | 43 | | 14the federal poverty level; and |
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| 44 | 44 | | 15 (c) Not be a provider of HeadStart or eligible for federal funding as a Community Anti- |
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| 45 | 45 | | 16Poverty Agency; and |
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| 46 | 46 | | 17 (d) Receive not less than 90% of agency early education and care revenue from the |
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| 47 | 47 | | 18Department of Early Education and Care; and |
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| 48 | 48 | | 19 (e) Operate in a designated “gateway municipality” as defined by Section 3A of Chapter |
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| 49 | 49 | | 2023A of the General Laws. |
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| 50 | 50 | | 21 SECTION 4. Licensed childcare provider agencies which meet the criteria set forth in |
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| 51 | 51 | | 22Section 3 of this act shall be entitled to an annual payment from the Disproportionate Share |
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| 52 | 52 | | 23Childcare Provider Fund. Payment to eligible agencies shall be made in a manner prescribed by |
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| 53 | 53 | | 24the Commissioner of Early Education and Care. All funds contained in the account shall be |
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| 54 | 54 | | 25expended to eligible licensed childcare provider agencies bi-annually in proportion to the |
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| 55 | 55 | | 26licensed capacity of the eligible agency. Any funds not expended at the end of each fiscal year |
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| 56 | 56 | | 27shall remain in such fund and shall not revert to the General Fund. |
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| 57 | 57 | | 28 SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon its passage. |
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