The bill establishes the Best Beginnings Child Care Scholarship Program, aimed at providing financial assistance for child care to eligible families. It sets the income eligibility level at 185% of the federal poverty level, ensuring that families within this income bracket can access the scholarship. Additionally, the bill mandates a monthly copayment from eligible families, which is intended to promote shared responsibility in funding child care services.

Furthermore, the bill includes an appropriation to support the implementation of the program and amends Section 52-2-713 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) to incorporate these changes. The effective date of the bill is also specified, ensuring that the provisions will be enacted in a timely manner.

Statutes affected:
HB0648_1.pdf: 52-2-713
HB0648_2.pdf: 52-2-713
HB0648_3.pdf: 52-2-713
Amended: 52-2-713
Introduced: 52-2-713