SF 441 (LSB 2060XS (6) 85)

SENATE FILE 441

BY  PETERSEN

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to child care by making appropriations for state child care assistance and support for child care.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  STATE CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE ENHANCEMENT.  
   1.  There is appropriated from the general fund of the state to the department of human services for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2013, and ending June 30, 2014, the following amount, or so much thereof as is necessary, to be used for the purposes designated:
   For enhancement of the state child care assistance program and other support for child care in accordance with this section:
.................................................. $  8,251,941
   2.  Of the amount appropriated in this section, up to $4,415,921 shall be used for the cost to rebase the maximum reimbursement rate for providers under the state child care assistance program to the 75th percentile of the 2006 child care market rate survey. 
   3.  Of the amount appropriated in this section, up to $3,736,020 shall be used to change the income redetermination period for continuing eligibility under the state child care assistance program from six months to twelve months.
   4.  Of the amount appropriated in this section, up to $25,000 shall be used to implement a searchable internet-based application as part of the consumer information made available under section 237A.25. The application shall provide a listing of the child care providers in this state that have received a rating under the quality rating system implemented pursuant to section 237A.30 and information on whether a provider specializes in child care for infants, school-age children, children with special needs, or other populations or provides any other specialized services to support family needs.
   5.  Of the amount appropriated in this section, up to $75,000 shall be used by the department to conduct an independent evaluation of Iowa’s child care quality rating system. The evaluation shall address the system’s strengths and weaknesses, and shall provide recommendations for change. The department shall submit a final report on or before December 16, 2013, to the governor and general assembly concerning the evaluation. The evaluation shall also include but is not limited to all of the following:
   a.  An assessment of the validity of the system’s key underlying concepts.
   b.  An assessment of the techniques utilized and psychometric properties of the measures used in the system to assess quality.
   c.  An analysis of the outputs quantified by the rating process.
   d.  An analysis of the relationship between the ratings utilized and child outcomes realized.
EXPLANATION
   This bill makes an appropriation to the department of human services to enhance the state child care assistance program and provide other support for child care. The appropriation is allocated to rebase provider rates under the program to the 75th percentile of the 2006 child care market rate survey, to change the income redetermination period for continuing eligibility under the program from six months to 12 months, to implement a searchable internet-based application providing a listing of the child care providers in this state that have received a rating under the quality rating system and any specialized services available through the provider, and to conduct an evaluation of the quality rating system.