OHIO LEGISLATIVE SERVICE COMMISSION
Office of Research Legislative Budget
www.lsc.ohio.gov and Drafting Office
H.B. 610 Bill Analysis
135th General Assembly
Click here for H.B. 610’s Fiscal Note
Version: As Introduced
Primary Sponsor: Rep. Johnson
Effective date:
Elizabeth Molnar, Attorney
SUMMARY
 Creates the Child Care Cred Program in the Department of Children and Youth, a program
that allows the costs of child care to be shared equally by participating employees, their
employers, and the Department.
 Authorizes a participating employer to select one or more of its employees to participate
in the program.
 Requires each participating employee to choose a child care provider for the employee’s
child, but specifies that the chosen provider must hold a license issued by the state or be
certified by a county department of job and family services.
 Requires the Department to perform all administrative activities for the program.
 Appropriates $10 million in FY 2025 from the GRF for the Child Care Cred Program.
DETAILED ANALYSIS
Child Care Cred Program
H.B. 610 creates the Child Care Cred Program in the Department of Children and Youth.1
Under the program, the costs of child care are shared equally by participating employees, their
employers, and, subject to available funds, the Department. The bill specifies that the program
has three goals – enabling employers to attract and retain talent; assisting employees with child
care costs; and sustaining the businesses of child care providers.
1 R.C. 5180.41.
June 14, 2024
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
Cost sharing
An employee’s child care costs are to be shared equally by the employee, the employee’s
employer, and the Department. An employer, however, may agree to also contribute some or all
of the employee’s share.2
Eligibility conditions
The bill establishes the following conditions on program participation.3 In the case of an
employee, the employee must reside in Ohio and have been selected for participation by the
employee’s employer.
In the case of an employer, the employer must be located in Ohio and have selected one
or more of its employees to participate in the program.
With respect to a child care provider, the provider must hold a child care center or family
child care home license issued by the state or be certified as an in-home aide by a county
department of job and family services.
Application
Each employee and employer seeking to participate in the program must together submit
an application to the Department in a manner prescribed by the Department. The Department
must review each application as soon as practicable after it is received and must determine if the
employee and employer are both eligible to participate.4 Note than an eligibility determination
remains valid as long as the employee, employer, and child care provider continue to satisfy the
bill’s eligibility conditions.5
Program administration
After the Department determines an employee and employer are both eligible and each
agrees to participate in the program, the bill requires or authorizes the following actions:
 The employee, with the Department’s assistance, must select a child care provider for the
employee’s child and must enroll the child with the selected provider. An employee may
opt to choose his or her existing provider so long as that provider is licensed or certified
as required by the bill.
 The Department may require the employee, employer, and child care provider to each
sign a memorandum of understanding with the Department.
2 R.C. 5180.41(E)(2).
3 R.C. 5180.41(C).
4 R.C. 5180.41(D).
5 R.C. 5180.41(F).
P a g e |2 H.B. 610
As Introduced
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
 The Department is responsible for coordinating and performing all administrative
activities associated with the sharing of child care costs and making payments to child
care providers.6
Fraud, misrepresentation, or deception
If the Department finds that an employee or employer has committed fraud,
misrepresentation, or deception in applying to participate, or in participating, in the program,
the employee or employer is permanently ineligible to participate, or to continue to participate,
in the program.7
Rulemaking
The bill authorizes the Department to adopt rules as necessary to implement its
provisions.8 If the Department adopts any rules for the program, it must do so in accordance with
Ohio’s Administrative Procedure Act.9 The bill also specifies that a regulatory restriction
contained in such a rule is not subject to the two-for-one rule, effective until July 1, 2025, or the
statutory cap, effective beginning July 1, 2025, on the number of regulatory restrictions that the
Department may have in place.10
Appropriation
The bill appropriates $10 million in FY 2025 in GRF line item 830414, Child Care Cred
Program, under the Department of Children and Youth.11
HISTORY
Action Date
Introduced 05-22-24
ANHB0610IN-135/ts
6 R.C. 5180.41(E).
7 R.C. 5180.41(G).
8 R.C. 5180.41(H)(1).
9 R.C. Chapter 119, not in the bill.
10 R.C. 5180.41(H)(2). See also R.C. 121.95 to 121.953, not in the bill.
11 Section 3.
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As Introduced