The bill amends the Rhode Island Works Program's provisions related to childcare assistance, specifically Section 40-5.2-20, by updating the title and removing detailed eligibility criteria and conditions for receiving childcare assistance. The deletions include income thresholds, resource limits, and specific provisions for military families and childcare educators, among others. The bill does not specify the new criteria that will replace the deleted sections, suggesting a broader restructuring of the childcare assistance program may be forthcoming.

Additionally, the bill revises the reimbursement rates for licensed childcare providers, eliminating the previous maximum rates and introducing a tiered reimbursement system based on the provider's quality rating. It also expands eligibility for childcare subsidies to working families with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level and sets conditions for asset eligibility. The bill mandates cooperation with child support enforcement as a condition for receiving assistance and outlines a sliding fee scale for partial payment of childcare costs. It provides funding for childcare for eligible childcare educators and staff, and includes provisions for forecasting childcare expenditures and determining eligibility for children of reserve component members called to active duty. The bill would take effect upon passage and does not indicate specific insertions or deletions from the current law in the provided text.

Statutes affected:
7404: 40-5.2-20, 40-6.2-1.1