BILL AS INTRODUCED S.188
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1 S.188
2 Introduced by Senator Lyons
3 Referred to Committee on
4 Date:
5 Subject: Human services; child care; supports for providers; benefit
6 navigation; categorical eligibility
7 Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to provide all
8 child care providers with categorical eligibility for the Child Care Financial
9 Assistance Program. It further proposes to make health benefit navigation
10 services available to child care providers on a temporary basis.
11 An act relating to supports for child care providers
12 It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
13 Sec. 1. 33 V.S.A. § 3512 is amended to read:
14 § 3512. CHILD CARE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM;
15 ELIGIBILITY
16 (a)(1) The Child Care Financial Assistance Program is established to
17 subsidize, to the extent that funds permit, the costs of child care for families
18 that need child care services in order to obtain employment, to retain
19 employment, or to obtain training leading to employment. Families seeking VT LEG #372571 v.1
BILL AS INTRODUCED S.188
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1 employment shall be entitled to participate in the Program for up to three
2 months and the Commissioner may further extend that period.
3 ***
4 (7) A child care provider who is a Vermont resident and employed full-
5 time at a private, regulated family child care home; center-based child care and
6 preschool program; or afterschool program shall have all of the family’s earned
7 and unearned income excluded from an eligibility determination when the
8 child care provider applies to the Child Care Financial Assistance Program on
9 behalf of a dependent child.
10 ***
11 Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION; TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
12 In fiscal year 2025, $85,000.00 is appropriated from the General Fund to the
13 Department for Children and Families’ Child Development Division to
14 contract with an entity that shall support child care providers navigating
15 changes to their health insurance coverage eligibility. It is the intent of the
16 General Assembly that continued assistance for navigating changes to health
17 insurance coverage eligibility be provided through fiscal year 2027.
18 Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE
19 This act shall take effect on July 1, 2024.
VT LEG #372571 v.1
Statutes affected: As Introduced: 33-3512