A4715

An Act concerning the Emergency Child Care Assistance Program.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. The Department of Human Services and the Department of Children and Families shall administer the Emergency Child Care Assistance Program for children of essential workers, as previously implemented by the departments on a temporary basis in April, May, and June of 2020, for the duration of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The goal of this program shall be to support the child care costs of essential workers. To effectuate this program, the departments shall:

(1) implement and administer an application process, provided that the departments shall not establish an income standard to determine eligibility for the program;

(2) determine if an applicant is an essential worker;

(3) pay the following rate per week directly to participating child care agencies for each applicant determined to be eligible for the program: infant weekly rate equals $450.35; toddler weekly rate equals $415.70; preschool weekly rate equals $415.70; and school-age weekly rate equals $336.00;

(4) apply for such State plan amendments or waivers as may be necessary to implement the program and to continue to secure federal financial participation for subsidized child care programs for qualified low-to-moderate income households; and

(5) provide for any other actions as deemed necessary to implement the provisions of this section.

b. As used in this section, “essential worker” means the same as defined in Executive Order No. 110 of 2020, as well as teachers, educators, and school support professionals, such as cafeteria workers, security guards, and paraprofessionals.

2. There is appropriated such amounts as determined by the Commissioner of Human Services and the Commissioner of Children and Families as necessary for the implementation of this act. The amounts appropriated shall be funded first from assistance provided from the federal government, to the extent not prohibited by federal law. The remaining amounts necessary to fund the provisions of this act shall be appropriated from the General Fund.

3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire at the end of the Public Health Emergency and State of Emergency declared by Executive Order No. 103 of 2020 regarding the coronavirus disease 2019.

STATEMENT

This bill requires the Department of Human Services and the Department of Children and Families to administer the Emergency Child Care Assistance Program for children of essential workers, as previously implemented by the departments on a temporary basis in April, May, and June of 2020, for the duration of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The goal of this program is to support the child care costs of essential workers.

To effectuate this program, the departments are required to:

1) implement and administer an application process, provided that the departments are not to establish an income standard to determine eligibility for the program;

2) determine if an applicant is an essential worker. As used in this bill, “essential worker” means the same as defined in Executive Order No. 110 of 2020, as well as teachers, educators, and school support professionals, such as cafeteria workers, security guards, and paraprofessionals. Under this Executive Order, an essential worker means:

· health care workers, including staff working in health care facilities and in community-based services including home health and behavioral health;

· law enforcement personnel, fire and emergency services personnel, and correctional facility staff;

· individuals employed at emergency child care centers;

· staff working for entities that provide essential social services, including, but not limited to, group home and shelter staff;

· essential government employees who are unable to work from home, including child protection services workers, child welfare workers, foster care workers, unemployment compensation processing staff, and public health employees; and,

· certain critical workers, as defined by the Commissioner of Children and Families, at essential retail businesses, as defined in Executive Order No. 107 of 2020 and subsequent Administrative Orders, which includes, for example, grocery store and gas station employees;

3) pay the following rate per week directly to participating child care agencies for each applicant determined to be eligible for the program: infant weekly rate equals $450.35; toddler weekly rate equals $415.70; preschool weekly rate equals $415.70; and school-age weekly rate equals $336.00;

4) apply for such State plan amendments or waivers as may be necessary to implement the program and to continue to secure federal financial participation for subsidized child care programs for qualified low-to-moderate income households; and

5) provide for any other actions as deemed necessary to implement the provisions of this section.

The bill appropriates such amounts as determined by the Commissioner of Human Services and the Commissioner of Children and Families as necessary for the implementation of the bill. The amounts appropriated are to be funded first from financial assistance provided through the federal government, to the extent not prohibited by federal law. The remaining amounts necessary to fund the provisions of the bill are to be appropriated from the General Fund.

The bill is to take effect immediately and expire at the end of the Public Health Emergency and State of Emergency declared by Executive Order No. 103 of 2020 regarding the coronavirus disease 2019.