MD
Maryland House Bill HB1475

Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1475 Compare Versions

OldNewDifferences
11
22
33 EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTING LA W.
44 [Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
55 Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
66 Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
77 amendment.
8- Italics indicate opposite chamber/conference committee amendments.
98 *hb1475*
109
1110 HOUSE BILL 1475
12-F5 (5lr3279)
13-ENROLLED BILL
14-— Ways and Means/Education, Energy, and the Environment —
15-Introduced by Delegate Feldmark Delegates Feldmark, Atterbeary, Buckel,
16-Ebersole, Fair, Griffith, Hartman, Hornberger, Miller, Mireku –North,
17-Palakovich Carr, Patterson, Roberson, Roberts, Vogel, Wells, Wims, and Wu
11+F5 5lr3279
1812
19-Read and Examined by Proofreaders:
20-
21-_______________________________________________
22-Proofreader.
23-_______________________________________________
24-Proofreader.
25-
26-Sealed with the Great Seal and presented to the Governor, for his approval this
27-
28-_______ day of _______________ at ________________________ o’clock, ________M.
29-
30-______________________________________________
31-Speaker.
13+By: Delegate Feldmark Delegates Feldmark, Atterbeary, Buckel, Ebersole, Fair,
14+Griffith, Hartman, Hornberger, Miller, Mireku –North, Palakovich Carr,
15+Patterson, Roberson, Roberts, Vogel, Wells, Wims, and Wu
16+Introduced and read first time: February 7, 2025
17+Assigned to: Ways and Means
18+Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
19+House action: Adopted
20+Read second time: March 6, 2025
3221
3322 CHAPTER ______
3423
3524 AN ACT concerning 1
3625
37-Office of Child Care Advisory Council Maryland State Department of Education 2
38-– Publicly Funded Prekindergarten – Analysis and Report 3
26+Office of Child Care Advisory Council – Publicly Funded Prekindergarten – 2
27+Analysis and Report 3
3928 (Mixed Delivery Model Viability Act) 4
4029
4130 FOR the purpose of requiring the Office of Child Care Advisory Council within the State 5
42-Department of Education to convene a specified workgroup to conduct an analysis of 6
43-the mixed delivery, publicly funded prekindergarten system established under the 7
44-Blueprint for Maryland’s Future; and generally relating to an analysis of the mixed 8
45-delivery, publicly funded prekindergarten program. 9
31+Department of Education to conduct an analysis of the mixed delivery, publicly 6
32+funded prekindergarten system established under the Blueprint for Maryland’s 7
33+Future; and generally relating to an analysis of the mixed delivery, publicly funded 8
34+prekindergarten program. 9
4635
4736 SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 10
4837 That: 11
49- 2 HOUSE BILL 1475
38+
39+ (a) The Office of Child Care Advisory Council within the State Department of 12
40+Education shall conduct an analysis of the mixed delivery, publicly funded prekindergarten 13
41+system established under Title 7, Subtitle 1A of the Education Article. 14
42+
43+ (b) In conducting the analysis required under subsection (a) of this section, the 15
44+Council shall review: 16
45+
46+ (1) any discrepancies between State policies that regulate private and 17
47+public prekindergarten providers, including differences in policies for rests or nap time, 18 2 HOUSE BILL 1475
5048
5149
52- (a) The Office of Child Care Advisory Council within the State Department of 1
53-Education shall convene a workgroup to conduct an analysis of the mixed delivery, publicly 2
54-funded prekindergarten system established under Title 7, Subtitle 1A of the Education 3
55-Article. 4
50+substitute teachers, and the day–to–day governance of prekindergarten providers 1
51+identified by the Council; 2
5652
57- (b) The workgroup shall consist of the following members: 5
53+ (2) the implementation of the requirements for publicly funded 3
54+prekindergarten programs under Chapter 165 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2024; 4
5855
59- (1) one member of the Senate of Maryland, appointed by the President of the 6
60-Senate; 7
56+ (3) the method by which private prekindergarten providers are reimbursed 5
57+and whether a method of payment through forward funding would be a feasible alternative; 6
6158
62- (2) one member of the House of Delegates, appointed by the Speaker of the 8
63-House; 9
59+ (4) inefficiencies in the invoicing process for private prekindergarten 7
60+providers and delays in private provider payments; 8
6461
65- (3) at least one representative from each of the following entities, designated 10
66-by the State Superintendent of Schools: 11
62+ (5) whether the timeline for the operation of a prekindergarten educational 9
63+program required by the Prekindergarten Expansion Grant Program under § 10
64+7–101.2(c)(1)(iii) of the Education Article matches the typical needs of prekindergarten 11
65+students and parents; 12
6766
68- (i) the State Department of Education; 12
67+ (6) the feasibility of changing the Prekindergarten Expansion Grant 13
68+Program guidelines after grant agreements have been executed and whether there are 14
69+appropriate changes that should be made to the guidelines; 15
6970
70- (ii) the Maryland Department of Health; 13
71+ (7) the process through which quality rating levels in the Maryland 16
72+EXCELS Program are changed, including: 17
7173
72- (iii) the Head Start Program; 14
74+ (i) disciplining a prekindergarten provider for an infraction by 18
75+lowering the quality rating level; 19
7376
74- (iv) the Office of the State Fire Marshal; 15
77+ (ii) whether, when using a reduction of a prekindergarten provider’s 20
78+quality rating as a disciplinary measure, the reduction is commensurate with the severity 21
79+of the infraction; 22
7580
76- (v) a child care advocacy organization; and 16
81+ (iii) the process for appealing a change in a prekindergarten 23
82+provider’s quality rating; 24
7783
78- (vi) a community college with an early childhood education program; 17
84+ (iv) the feasibility of making standardized changes in the quality 25
85+rating level; and 26
7986
80- (4) at least two family child care providers, designated by the State 18
81-Superintendent; and 19
87+ (v) whether there are alternative methods available to address 27
88+infractions, including methods to deal with infractions caused by a single employee; 28
8289
83- (5) at least two child care providers from child care centers, designated by 20
84-the State Superintendent. 21
90+ (8) the administrative processes that a private prekindergarten provider 29
91+must undertake in order to participate in publicly funded prekindergarten and whether the 30
92+processes could be streamlined or reduced; 31
8593
86- (b) (c) In conducting the analysis required under subsection (a) of this section, the 22
87-Council workgroup shall review: 23
88-
89- (1) any discrepancies between State policies that regulate private and 24
90-public prekindergarten providers, including differences in policies for rests or nap time, 25
91-substitute teachers, and the day–to–day governance of prekindergarten providers 26
92-identified by the Council workgroup; 27
93-
94- (2) the implementation of the requirements for publicly funded 28
95-prekindergarten programs under Chapter 165 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2024; 29
96-
97- (3) the method by which private prekindergarten providers are reimbursed 30
98-and whether a method of payment through forward funding would be a feasible alternative; 31 HOUSE BILL 1475 3
94+ (9) the feasibility of streamlining or reducing the administrative processes 32
95+for enrolling a child in publicly funded prekindergarten; 33
96+ HOUSE BILL 1475 3
9997
10098
99+ (10) the languages in which grant applications, agreements, guidelines, 1
100+technical support, training, and professional development are offered and whether the 2
101+languages offered align with those spoken by potential private prekindergarten providers; 3
101102
102- (4) inefficiencies in the invoicing process for private prekindergarten 1
103-providers and delays in private provider payments; 2
103+ (11) the languages in which materials provided to parents of children 4
104+enrolled with a private prekindergarten provider are offered and whether the languages 5
105+offered align with those spoken by the parents; and 6
104106
105- (5) whether the timeline for the operation of a prekindergarten educational 3
106-program required by the Prekindergarten Expansion Grant Program under § 4
107-7–101.2(c)(1)(iii) of the Education Article matches the typical needs of prekindergarten 5
108-students and parents; 6
107+ (12) opportunities to pool resources among private prekindergarten 7
108+providers, including employee benefits, creating a centralized substitute teacher pool, and 8
109+other benefits that might come from economies of scale; 9
109110
110- (6) the feasibility of changing the Prekindergarten Expansion Grant 7
111-Program guidelines after grant agreements have been executed and whether there are 8
112-appropriate changes that should be made to the guidelines; 9
111+ (13) challenges for public prekindergarten providers in building or adapting 10
112+facilities to accommodate prekindergarten students; and 11
113113
114- (7) the process through which quality rating levels in the Maryland 10
115-EXCELS Program are changed, including: 11
114+ (14) how best to use publicly funded prekindergarten to provide a quality 12
115+early childhood education for students with and without disabilities together in the same 13
116+classrooms, including by developing methods to best: 14
116117
117- (i) disciplining a prekindergarten provider for an infraction by 12
118-lowering the quality rating level; 13
118+ (i) combine federal, State, and local funding sources available for 15
119+children in a publicly funded prekindergarten context to maximize support for all children; 16
119120
120- (ii) whether, when using a reduction of a prekindergarten provider’s 14
121-quality rating as a disciplinary measure, the reduction is commensurate with the severity 15
122-of the infraction; 16
121+ (ii) improve teacher and staff training and recruitment to address 17
122+the needs of students with and without disabilities; and 18
123123
124- (iii) the process for appealing a change in a prekindergarten 17
125-provider’s quality rating; 18
124+ (iii) foster collaboration between public and private prekindergarten 19
125+providers in delivering specialized transportation and services for students with 20
126+disabilities. 21
126127
127- (iv) the feasibility of making standardized changes in the quality 19
128-rating level; and 20
128+ (c) In conducting the analysis required under subsection (a) of this section, the 22
129+Council shall solicit feedback from public prekindergarten providers, private 23
130+prekindergarten providers, and child care providers who have elected not to participate in 24
131+the publicly funded prekindergarten program. 25
129132
130- (v) whether there are alternative methods available to address 21
131-infractions, including methods to deal with infractions caused by a single employee; 22
133+ (d) (1) The Council may consult additional subject matter and policy experts 26
134+that the Council determines are beneficial in conducting the analysis. 27
132135
133- (8) the administrative processes that a private prekindergarten provider 23
134-must undertake in order to participate in publicly funded prekindergarten and whether the 24
135-processes could be streamlined or reduced; 25
136+ (2) The Council may establish subcommittees to carry out the analysis 28
137+required under this section. 29
136138
137- (9) the feasibility of streamlining or reducing the administrative processes 26
138-for enrolling a child in publicly funded prekindergarten; 27
139-
140- (10) the languages in which grant applications, agreements, guidelines, 28
141-technical support, training, and professional development are offered and whether the 29
142-languages offered align with those spoken by potential private prekindergarten providers; 30
143-
144- (11) the languages in which materials provided to parents of children 31
145-enrolled with a private prekindergarten provider are offered and whether the languages 32
146-offered align with those spoken by the parents; and 33
139+ (e) (1) On or before June 1, 2026, the Council shall submit to the State Board 30
140+of Education and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General 31
141+Assembly, an interim report on the results of its analysis, including recommendations for 32
142+changes to regulations, policies, and procedures to increase the efficacy of the publicly 33
143+funded prekindergarten program and to make the program more equitable for providers 34
144+and families. 35
147145 4 HOUSE BILL 1475
148146
149147
150- (12) opportunities to pool resources among private prekindergarten 1
151-providers, including employee benefits, creating a centralized substitute teacher pool, and 2
152-other benefits that might come from economies of scale; 3
148+ (2) On or before December 31, 2027, the Council shall submit a final report 1
149+to the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, on 2
150+the results of the analysis conducted under subsection (a) of this section, any changes made 3
151+by the State Department of Education in response to the recommendations in the interim 4
152+report, and any additional recommendations from the Council for changes to regulation, 5
153+policies, procedures, or statute regarding the mixed delivery, publicly funded 6
154+prekindergarten system. 7
153155
154- (13) challenges for public prekindergarten providers in building or adapting 4
155-facilities to accommodate prekindergarten students; and 5
156-
157- (14) how best to use publicly funded prekindergarten to provide a quality 6
158-early childhood education for students with and without disabilities together in the same 7
159-classrooms, including by developing methods to best: 8
160-
161- (i) combine federal, State, and local funding sources available for 9
162-children in a publicly funded prekindergarten context to maximize support for all children; 10
163-
164- (ii) improve teacher and staff training and recruitment to address 11
165-the needs of students with and without disabilities; and 12
166-
167- (iii) foster collaboration between public and private prekindergarten 13
168-providers in delivering specialized transportation and services for students with 14
169-disabilities. 15
170-
171- (c) (d) In conducting the analysis required under subsection (a) of this section, the 16
172-Council workgroup shall solicit feedback from public prekindergarten providers, private 17
173-prekindergarten providers, and child care providers who have elected not to participate in 18
174-the publicly funded prekindergarten program. 19
175-
176- (d) (e) (1) The Council workgroup may consult additional subject matter and 20
177-policy experts that the Council determines are beneficial in conducting the analysis. 21
178-
179- (2) The Council workgroup may establish subcommittees to carry out the 22
180-analysis required under this section. 23
181-
182- (e) (f) (1) On or before June 1, 2026, the Council workgroup shall submit to the 24
183-State Board of Education and the Accountability and Implementation Board and, in 25
184-accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly, an 26
185-interim report on the results of its analysis, including recommendations for changes to 27
186-regulations, policies, and procedures to increase the efficacy of the publicly funded 28
187-prekindergarten program and to make the program more equitable for providers and 29
188-families. 30
189-
190- (2) On or before December 31, 2027, the Council workgroup shall submit a 31
191-final report to the Accountability and Implementation Board and the General Assembly, in 32
192-accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, on the results of the analysis 33
193-conducted under subsection (a) of this section, any changes made by the State Department 34
194-of Education in response to the recommendations in the interim report, and any additional 35
195-recommendations from the Council workgroup for changes to regulation, policies, 36 HOUSE BILL 1475 5
196-
197-
198-procedures, or statute regarding the mixed delivery, publicly funded prekindergarten 1
199-system. 2
200-
201- SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 3
202-1, 2025. It shall remain effective for a period of 3 years and, at the end of June 30, 2028, 4
203-this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, shall be abrogated and 5
204-of no further force and effect. 6
156+ SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 8
157+1, 2025. It shall remain effective for a period of 3 years and, at the end of June 30, 2028, 9
158+this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, shall be abrogated and 10
159+of no further force and effect. 11
205160
206161
207162
208163
209164 Approved:
210165 ________________________________________________________________________________
211166 Governor.
212167 ________________________________________________________________________________
213168 Speaker of the House of Delegates.
214169 ________________________________________________________________________________
215170 President of the Senate.