Senate Bill 322 aims to establish a new program under the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to provide monthly payments to certified child care providers, licensed child care centers, and school board-contracted child care programs. This program will supplement the existing Wisconsin Shares system, which offers child care subsidies to low-income custodial parents. The bill mandates DCF to create rules for the program, including eligibility criteria and payment amounts, and allows for the promulgation of these rules as emergency rules. Funding for the program will come from a new appropriation and federal sources, including child care development funds.

The bill also repeals certain provisions related to the modification of payment rates for child care providers based on their ratings in the YoungStar quality rating system. Specifically, it repeals sections 49.155 (1g) (i) and 49.155 (6) (e) 2., 3., and 5., while amending section 49.175 (1) (qm) to increase the funding allocated for child care quality improvement activities from $16,683,700 to $49,446,300 for each fiscal year. Additionally, a new section, 49.133, is created to outline the child care quality improvement program, which includes provisions for investigating and recovering overpayments or fraudulent claims.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 49.155(1g)(i), 49.155, 49.175(1)(qm), 49.175