Florida Senate - 2024 SB 120



By Senator Stewart





17-00329-24 2024120__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to child care services; amending s.
3 1002.82, F.S.; requiring the Department of Education,
4 subject to legislative appropriation, to establish a
5 program to provide vouchers for child care services to
6 children within a specified age range whose parents
7 meet a specified income limitation; authorizing the
8 State Board of Education to adopt rules; providing an
9 effective date.
10
11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
12
13 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section
14 1002.82, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
15 1002.82 Department of Education; powers and duties.—
16 (2) The department shall:
17 (b) Preserve parental choice by:
18 1. Allowing Permitting parents to choose from a variety of
19 child care categories, including center-based care, family child
20 care, and informal child care to the extent authorized in the
21 state’s Child Care and Development Fund Plan as approved by the
22 United States Department of Health and Human Services pursuant
23 to 45 C.F.R. s. 98.18. Care and curriculum by a faith-based
24 provider may not be limited or excluded in any of these
25 categories.
26 2. Subject to the appropriation of funds by the
27 Legislature, establishing a program through which a parent may
28 obtain a voucher to subsidize all or a portion of the costs of
29 child care services for a child older than 18 months of age but
30 younger than 4 years of age. Only parents whose income is equal
31 to or below 200 percent of the then-current federal poverty
32 guidelines prescribed for the household size of the applicant by
33 the United States Department of Health and Human Services may
34 participate in the program. The State Board of Education may
35 adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement
36 this subparagraph.
37 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
S 120 Filed: 1002.82