Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB555 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW .
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb0555
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 555
8	8	F5 5lr1611
9	9
10	10	By: Delegates Taveras, Charkoudian, Lehman, Martinez, Pena –Melnyk, and Vogel
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 22, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Ways and Means
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Early Childhood Education – Child Care Scholarship Program – Eligibility 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of specifying eligibility for the Child Care Scholarship Program, including 3
21	21	that a child shall reside in the State, be under a certain age, and be in a household 4
22	22	that meets certain need and income requirements; prohibiting the State Department 5
23	23	of Education from considering the immigration status of a parent, guardian, or child 6
24	24	when determining eligibility for Program benefits; and generally relating to 7
25	25	eligibility for the Child Care Scholarship Program. 8
26	26
27	27	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 9
28	28	Article – Education 10
29	29	Section 9.5–113 11
30	30	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
31	31	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
32	32
33	33	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND , 14
34	34	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15
35	35
36	36	Article – Education 16
37	37
38	38	9.5–113. 17
39	39
40	40	(a) In this section, “Program” means the Child Care Scholarship Program. 18
41	41
42	42	(b) (1) [The Department shall administer the Program in accordance with 19
43	43	federal law] TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR TH E PROGRAM, A CHILD SHALL: 20
44	44
45	45	(I) RESIDE IN THE STATE; 21
46	46
47	47	(II) BE: 22 2 HOUSE BILL 555
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	1. UNDER THE AGE OF 13 YEARS; OR 1
52	52
53	53	2. UNDER THE AGE OF 19 YEARS, IF THE CHILD HAS A 2
54	54	DISABILITY VERIFIED BY THE DEPARTMENT ; 3
55	55
56	56	(III) BE IN A HOUSEHOLD THAT MEETS THE NEED 4
57	57	REQUIREMENTS ESTABLI SHED BY THE DEPARTMENT ; 5
58	58
59	59	(IV) BE IN A HOUSEHOLD THAT MEETS THE INCOME 6
60	60	REQUIREMENT S ESTABLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT ; AND 7
61	61
62	62	(V) SUBJECT TO PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , MEET 8
63	63	ANY OTHER PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS ESTABLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT . 9
64	64
65	65	(2) THE DEPARTMENT MAY NOT CO NSIDER IMMIGRATION S TATUS OF 10
66	66	A PARENT, GUARDIAN, OR CHILD WHEN DETERM INING ELIGIBILITY FO R PROGRAM 11
67	67	BENEFITS. 12
68	68
69	69	(c) (1) The Department shall establish a process that meets the requirements 13
70	70	of this subsection for granting presumptive eligibility for a subsidy under the Program. 14
71	71
72	72	(2) An individual shall attest that the individual meets the eligibility 15
73	73	requirements for a subsidy under the Program by completing and electronically submitting 16
74	74	a form provided by the Department, including a statement of the individual’s estimated 17
75	75	annual household income. 18
76	76
77	77	(3) The Department shall provide a subsidy under the Program to an 19
78	78	individual who submits a form under paragraph (2) of this subsection for a period: 20
79	79
80	80	(i) Beginning on the day on which the individual submits the form; 21
81	81	and 22
82	82
83	83	(ii) Ending: 23
84	84
85	85	1. If the individual does not fill out an application within 15 24
86	86	days in accordance with paragraph (4) of this subsection, 60 days after the date on which 25
87	87	the individual submits the form under paragraph (2) of this subsection; or 26
88	88
89	89	2. If the Department determines that the individual does not 27
90	90	qualify for a subsidy under the Program after reviewing the individual’s application 28
91	91	submitted in accordance with paragraph (4) of this subsection, the later of: 29
92	92
93	93	A. 60 days after the date on which the individual submits the 30
94	94	form under paragraph (2) of this subsection; or 31
95	95	HOUSE BILL 555 3
96	96
97	97
98	98	B. The date on which the Department makes the 1
99	99	determination. 2
100	100
101	101	(4) To continue to receive a subsidy under the Program, an individual who 3
102	102	submits a form under paragraph (2) of this subsection shall submit an application for a 4
103	103	subsidy under the Program within 15 days after the date on which the individual submits 5
104	104	the form under paragraph (2) of this subsection. 6
105	105
106	106	(5) The Department or the Comptroller may not seek reimbursement or 7
107	107	repayment of a subsidy provided to an individual under paragraph (3) of this subsection if 8
108	108	the Department determines the individual does not qualify for a subsidy under the Program 9
109	109	under paragraph (3)(ii)2 of this subsection, except for suspected fraud. 10
110	110
111	111	(6) (i) In this paragraph, “Fund” means the Child Care Scholarship 11
112	112	Program Presumptive Eligibility Fund. 12
113	113
114	114	(ii) There is a Child Care Scholarship Program Presumptive 13
115	115	Eligibility Fund. 14
116	116
117	117	(iii) The Department shall administer the Fund. 15
118	118
119	119	(iv) 1. The Fund is a special, nonlapsing fund that is not subject 16
120	120	to § 7–302 of the State Finance and Procurement Article. 17
121	121
122	122	2. The State Treasurer shall hold the Fund separately, and 18
123	123	the Comptroller shall account for the Fund. 19
124	124
125	125	(v) The Fund consists of: 20
126	126
127	127	1. Money appropriated in the State budget to the Fund; 21
128	128
129	129	2. Reimbursements made in accordance with subparagraph 22
130	130	(viii) of this paragraph; and 23
131	131
132	132	3. Any other money from any other source accepted for the 24
133	133	benefit of the Fund. 25
134	134
135	135	(vi) The Fund may be used only to award a subsidy under the 26
136	136	Program in an amount sufficient to provide child care for an individual who is granted 27
137	137	presumptive eligibility until: 28
138	138
139	139	1. The individual either fails to complete the full application 29
140	140	within 15 days or is found ineligible for a subsidy under the Program and the time period 30
141	141	described under paragraph (3) of this subsection lapses; or 31
142	142
143	143	2. The individual is found eligible to participate in the 32
144	144	Program. 33 4 HOUSE BILL 555
145	145
146	146
147	147
148	148	(vii) For fiscal year 2024 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Governor 1
149	149	shall include in the annual budget bill an appropriation to the Fund at least equal to the 2
150	150	amount recommended by the Department in the study conducted in accordance with 3
151	151	Section 3 of Chapters 525 and 526 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2022 that is 4
152	152	necessary to provide payment of the subsidy amount for which an individual who is 5
153	153	presumptively eligible qualifies. 6
154	154
155	155	(viii) If an individual is found eligible to participate in the Program, 7
156	156	federal and matching State funds available under the federal Child Care Development 8
157	157	Fund shall be used to reimburse the Fund for any expenditures made in accordance with 9
158	158	subparagraph (vi) of this paragraph. 10
159	159
160	160	(ix) 1. The State Treasurer shall invest the money of the Fund in 11
161	161	the same manner as other State money may be invested. 12
162	162
163	163	2. Any interest earnings of the Fund shall be credited to the 13
164	164	General Fund of the State. 14
165	165
166	166	(d) The Department shall award a scholarship under the Program in an amount 15
167	167	sufficient to ensure that an individual will not be required to pay a copay for child care if 16
168	168	the individual provides proof, as determined by the Department, of: 17
169	169
170	170	(1) Participation in one of the following programs: 18
171	171
172	172	(i) Federal Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, 19
173	173	Infants, and Children; 20
174	174
175	175	(ii) Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; 21
176	176
177	177	(iii) Federal Housing Act Housing Choice Voucher Program; 22
178	178
179	179	(iv) Supplemental Security Income benefits; or 23
180	180
181	181	(v) Temporary cash assistance; and 24
182	182
183	183	(2) Employment or enrollment in an education or career training program. 25
184	184
185	185	(e) An individual is eligible to continue to receive a scholarship under the 26
186	186	Program: 27
187	187
188	188	(1) For at least 90 days in a year if the individual is unemployed and 28
189	189	seeking employment; and 29
190	190
191	191	(2) If the individual meets any other eligibility criteria determined by the 30
192	192	Department. 31
193	193	HOUSE BILL 555 5
194	194
195	195
196	196	(f) The Department may not require an individual to pursue or receive child 1
197	197	support payments or apply for services from a child support agency to be eligible for a 2
198	198	scholarship under the Program. 3
199	199
200	200	(g) (1) The Department shall notify the Comptroller within 10 days after the 4
201	201	date on which the Department receives an invoice from a child care provider. 5
202	202
203	203	(2) The Comptroller shall pay a child care provider within 5 days after the 6
204	204	date on which the Comptroller receives a notice under paragraph (1) of this subsection. 7
205	205
206	206	(h) The Department shall adopt regulations to implement the provisions of this 8
207	207	section. 9
208	208
209	209	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 10
210	210	1, 2025. 11