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2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
2023 SENATE BILL 487
October 9, 2023 - Introduced by Senators ROYS, AGARD, CARPENTER, HESSELBEIN, L.
JOHNSON, LARSON, PFAFF, SMITH, SPREITZER, TAYLOR and WIRCH, cosponsored by
Representatives JOERS, JACOBSON, BILLINGS, C. ANDERSON, J. ANDERSON,
ANDRACA, BALDEH, BARE, CLANCY, CONLEY, CONSIDINE, DOYLE, DRAKE, EMERSON,
GOYKE, HAYWOOD, HONG, MADISON, MCGUIRE, MOORE OMOKUNDE, MYERS,
NEUBAUER, OHNSTAD, ORTIZ-VELEZ, PALMERI, RATCLIFF, RIEMER, SHANKLAND,
SHELTON, SINICKI, SNODGRASS, STUBBS, SUBECK and VINING. Referred to
Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and
Families.
AN ACT to repeal 49.155 (1g) (i) and 49.155 (6) (e) 2.; to amend 49.155 (6) (e) 3.
(intro.); and to create 20.437 (2) (c), 20.437 (2) (d), 49.132, 49.133 and 49.155
(1g) (j) of the statutes; relating to: a Department of Children and Families
program to make payments to child care programs, a child care partnership
grant program, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill authorizes the Department of Children and Families to establish a
program for making monthly payments and monthly per-child payments to certified
child care providers, licensed child care centers, and child care programs established
or contracted for by a school board. This new payment program is in addition to the
current law system for providing child care payments under Wisconsin Shares. The
bill allows DCF to promulgate rules to implement the program, including
establishing eligibility requirements and payment amounts and setting
requirements for how recipients may use the payments. The bill funds the program
through a new appropriation and by allocating federal moneys, including child care
development funds and moneys received under the Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families block grant program. To accomplish this, the bill eliminates a current law
allocation of TANF funding for increasing Wisconsin Shares maximum payment
rates paid to child care providers on the basis of a provider's quality rating, known
as YoungStar.
This bill also authorizes DCF to establish a grant program to award funding to
businesses that provide or wish to provide child care services for their employees.
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SENATE BILL 487
The bill allows such a grant to be used to reserve child care placements for local
business employees, pay child care tuition, and other costs related to child care.
Under the bill, a grant recipient must provide at least 25 percent matching funds.
The bill allows DCF to promulgate rules to administer the grant program, including
to determine eligibility for a grant.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
SECTION 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert
the following amounts for the purposes indicated:
2023-24 2024-25
20.437 Children and families, department of
(2) ECONOMIC SUPPORT
(c)Child care quality improvement
program GPR A 81,389,400 222,719,300
(d)Child care partnership grant
program GPR A 11,198,000 11,198,000
SECTION 2. 20.437 (2) (c) of the statutes is created to read:
20.437 (2) (c) Child care quality improvement program. The amounts in the
schedule for the program under s. 49.133.
SECTION 3. 20.437 (2) (d) of the statutes is created to read:
20.437 (2) (d) Child care partnership grant program. The amounts in the
schedule for the grants under s. 49.132.
SECTION 4. 49.132 of the statutes is created to read:
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SECTION 4
SENATE BILL 487
49.132 Child care partnership grant program. (1) In this section,
“business" means any organization or enterprise operated for profit or a nonprofit
corporation. “Business” does not include a governmental entity.
(2) The department may establish a grant program to award funding to
businesses that provide or wish to provide child care services for their employees.
A grant awarded under this program may be used to reserve child care placements
for local business employees, pay child care tuition, and other costs related to child
care.
(3) A business awarded a grant under this section shall provide matching funds
equal to 25 percent or more of the amount awarded.
(4) The department may promulgate rules to administer this section, including
to determine eligibility for a grant.
SECTION 5. 49.133 of the statutes is created to read:
49.133 Child care quality improvement program. (1) The department
may establish a program under which it may, from the appropriation under s. 20.437
(2) (c) and the allocation under s. 49.155 (1g), make monthly payments and monthly
per-child payments to child care providers certified under s. 48.651, child care
centers licensed under s. 48.65, and child care programs established or contracted
for by a school board under s. 120.13 (14).
(2) The department may promulgate rules to implement the program under
this section, including establishing eligibility requirements and payment amounts
and setting requirements for how recipients may use the payments.
SECTION 6. 49.155 (1g) (i) of the statutes, as created by 2023 Wisconsin Act 19,
is repealed.
SECTION 7. 49.155 (1g) (j) of the statutes is created to read:
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SECTION 7 SENATE BILL 487
49.155 (1g) (j) The child care quality improvement program under s. 49.133.
SECTION 8. 49.155 (6) (e) 2. of the statutes is repealed.
SECTION 9. 49.155 (6) (e) 3. (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
49.155 (6) (e) 3. (intro.) The department may modify a child care provider's
maximum payment rate under subd. 2. pars. (a) to (c) on the basis of the provider's
quality rating, as described in the quality rating plan, in the following manner:
SECTION 9106.0Nonstatutory provisions; Children and Families.
(1) CHILD CARE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
(a) Using the procedure under s. 227.24, the department of children and
families may promulgate the rules authorized under s. 49.133 (2) as emergency
rules. Notwithstanding s. 227.24 (1) (a) and (3), the department of children and
families is not required to provide evidence that promulgating a rule under this
subsection as an emergency rule is necessary for the preservation of the public peace,
health, safety, or welfare and is not required to provide a finding of emergency for a
rule promulgated under this subsection.
(b) The authorized FTE positions for the department of children and families
are increased by 1.0 GPR, to be funded from the appropriation under s. 20.437 (2) (c),
for the purpose of administering the child care quality improvement program under
s. 49.133.
(END)
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