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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST SPECIAL SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 1736S.P. 682 In Senate, April 22, 2025
An Act to Increase the Supply of Child Care Services Through the
Use of Contracts
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator RENY of Lincoln.
Cosponsored by Senators: BENNETT of Oxford, GROHOSKI of Hancock, MOORE of
Washington, TIPPING of Penobscot, Representatives: BOYER of Cape Elizabeth, FARRIN of
Jefferson, GRAHAM of North Yarmouth. Page 1 - 132LR2081(01)
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2 is enacted to read:
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4 of child care in the State and to better stabilize payment practices for providers of child
5 care, the office may directly contract with providers of child care to provide contracted
6 child care slots to those providers in accordance with this subsection.
7 A. As used in this subsection, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following
8 terms have the following meanings.
9 (1) "Direct contract" means a contract entered into by the office with a provider of
10 child care to provide contracted child care slots.
11 (2) "Office" means the Office of Child and Family Services established in section
12 5308.
13 B. The office shall use direct contracts to increase the availability of child care for
14 children under 3 years of age, children with disabilities and children in underserved
15 geographic areas.
16 C. The office may use direct contracts to increase the availability of child care for
17 children other than children identified in paragraph B based on priorities identified by
18 the office. Such priorities may include, but are not limited to, homeless children,
19 children who are receiving services under the child welfare system, children who need
20 care during nontraditional hours, children for whom English is a 2nd language and
21 other regional child care needs.
22 D. The office shall review regional needs assessment information to determine
23 priorities for the use of direct contracts, including, but not limited to, needs assessment
24 information from Head Start programs and early childhood learning and development
25 resource groups.
26 E. To the extent permitted by federal law, the office may use funding from any public
27 or private source for the purposes of this subsection.
28 F. The office shall adopt rules to implement this subsection. Rules adopted pursuant
29 to this paragraph are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375,
30 subchapter 2-A.
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32 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and
33 Family Services to enter into direct contracts with providers of child care to provide child
34 care slots for children under 3 years of age, children with disabilities and children in
35 underserved geographic areas. It authorizes the office to use direct contracts to provide
36 child care slots for other categories of children based on priorities identified by the office.
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