BILL NUMBER: S8819
SPONSOR: PERSAUD
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the social services law, in relation to requiring social
services districts to maintain a waiting list of certain families apply-
ing for child care assistance
 
PURPOSE:
This chapter amendment clarifies provisions of L.2025, C.676.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
This legislation amends the underlying chapter regarding social services
districts' responsibility to maintain the waiting list for certain fami-
lies applying for child care assistance.
Section 1 amends the underlying chapter limiting the requirements for
waitlists kept and maintained by the local districts. Local social
service districts are required to keep a waitlist for families denied
services due to a lack of funds. The waitlist must include the follow-
ing: the date assistance was requested, the date of eligibility determi-
nation or redetermination, the age of the child(ren), whether the family
is new or recertifying, and the total number of families on the wait-
list. Additionally, the Office of Children and Family Services is
required to post annually on its website the total number of waitlisted
families by district, replacing the previous legislative reporting model
with public-facing aggregate disclosure in the underlying legislation.
Section 2 amends the underlying chapter by requiring districts to
collect the following data, divided into three groups: families denied
due to ineligibility, families placed on a waitlist, and families who
receive assistance. For each group, districts must collect, when avail-
able, family size, income, and the child's age. This data must be
submitted annually by the districts to the Office of Children and Family
Services and publicly posted on the Office's website.
Section 3 amends the underlying chapter to clarify that local social
services districts are not required to maintain waitlists for periods
before the effective date of this act, nor to collect or report data for
applicants who applied for child care before that date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
This legislation is a negotiated change to the underlying chapter.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
Chapter amendment to Chapter 676 of the Laws of 2025.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as a
chapter of the laws of 2025 amending the social services law relating to
requiring social services districts to maintain a waiting list of
certain families applying for child care assistance, as proposed in
legislative bills numbers S.1926 and A.7145, takes effect.