NY State Senate Bill 2019-S1147

Senate Bill S1147

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Relates to directing the office of children and family services to conduct a study on the availability of day care

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Children And Families Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2020	referred to children and families
Jan 11, 2019	referred to children and families

co-Sponsors

2019-S1147 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A9805
Current Committee:: Senate Children And Families
Law Section:: Children
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2013-2014: S5250
2015-2016: S1422
2017-2018: S4612
2021-2022: S4349, A4850

2019-S1147 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Directs the office of children and family services to study and report on the availability of child day care for working parents.

2019-S1147 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S1147

SPONSOR: CARLUCCI
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to direct the office of children and family services to examine,
evaluate and make recommendations on the availability of day care for
children; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expira-
tion thereof

 
PURPOSE:

The purpose of this bill is to have the Office of Children and Family
Services (OCFS) examine, evaluate and make recommendations concerning
the availability of day care for children in this State. OCFS shall
review with particular care on the impact of the lack of access to
necessary day care services on the ability of women in or near poverty
to enter into the workforce.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Adds a new section to direct the Office of Children and Fami-
ly Services to conduct a study that includes an evaluation and recommen-
dations for the availability of child care services in New York State.
OCFS shall review the impact of the lack of childcare upon women in
poverty trying to enter the workforce.

Specifically, this section directs OCFS, when conducting this study, to:

*Establish an inventory of child daycare for working families and those
in or near poverty;

*Identify geographic shortage areas, taking in to account provider wait-
ing lists, and calculate projections of daycare needs based on regional
birth rates, employment rates and population growth;

*Compare, on a statewide and regional basis, the current demand for
daycare as well as its need over the next five years, analyzing whether
the current projected growth rate of providers is sufficient to meet the
need;

*Assess the cost of daycare to parents and guardians on a regional
basis;

*Identify childcare access needs statewide and regionally for parents
working nontraditional hours, such as night and swing shifts;

*Identify policies that would increase the number and capacity of child-
care providers;

*Identify policies that would increase the number of childcare providers
in neighborhoods and communities where low-income families live or work;
and

*Identify and quantify factors that contribute to a quality day care and
are used to identify violations by day care providers, and procedures
for establishing quality child care in those communities with the great-
est need.

Section 2: Authorizes OCFS to request and receive any additional infor-
mation from any state agency it deems relevant and material to the
study.

Section 3: Directs the Commissioner to submit a report to the Governor
and Legislature, within one year of this act becoming law, on the
study's findings, conclusions and recommendations. The Commissioner
shall also submit proposed legislation to implement the recommendations.
The report is to be made publicly available on the OCFS website.

Section 4: Provides the effective date and repeal of such act after the
report required under this act had been completed and filed.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Lack of access to affordable, quality childcare is a major impediment
for women who would like to enter and stay in the workforce.  According
to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are approximately 4.3 million working
women in New York State. Of those, 1.2 million are working mothers.
However, there have only been about 19,000 licensed providers across the
state over the last decade, according to the Office of Children and
Family Services. Parents, who are unable to afford licensed day care
providers or programs, are sometimes forced to choose between placing
their children with less reliable options or leaving them home alone.
Some parents are forced to reduce work hours or quit jobs altogether to
remain home and care for their children.

This study is an important step in quantifying the existing need in New
York State by region. It not only looks at the number of providers, but
also the cost, quality, transportation barriers in getting to and from
work, home and the provider, and the hours served. Only about 1,600 day
care centers provide overnight and other nontraditional hours of care.
The latter are especially important to working mothers, as they often
need to work such shifts to provide for their families. These women
desperately need child care assistance, as they make up a majority of
families in poverty.

Of all the economic empowerment building blocks for women, increasing
the availability of quality affordable child care is one of the most
vital. According to the Capital District Educational Opportunity Center,
lack of affordable child care is the number one reason why women are not
able to choose a different career path that can include or lead to high-
er paying careers in industries such as the building trades and other
expanding industries.

This legislation is fundamentally needed for the economic security and
empowerment of working women and low-income families.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2017-18: S4612 - PASSED SENATE/died in assembly

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately, and shall expire and be deemed
repealed one year after it shall take effect.

2019-S1147 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1147
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 11, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. CARLUCCI -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and Families
 
 AN ACT to direct the office of children and family services to  examine,
   evaluate  and make recommendations on the availability of day care for
   children; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expira-
   tion thereof
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The office of children and family services shall examine,
 evaluate and make recommendations concerning  the  availability  of  day
 care  for children in the state. Such office shall pay particular atten-
 tion to the impact of the lack   of necessary child day  care  upon  the
 ability  of  women in poverty and those in working families to enter the
 labor force. The office of children and family services shall direct its
 attention to:
   (a) establishing an inventory of child day care for  working  families
 and those at or near poverty;
   (b)  geographically  identifying  child  day  care shortage areas on a
 regional basis and projections of the future demand for child  day  care
 based  on  the  regional  birth  rates, employment and population growth
 rates;
   (c) comparing on a statewide and regional basis, the demand for  child
 day  care services over the succeeding five years, including whether the
 projected growth rate in the child day care industry will be  sufficient
 to meet such future needs;
   (d)  assessing the cost to parents and guardians of day care for chil-
 dren on a regional basis, including the availability of government funds
 for parents and guardians toward child care costs;
   (e) identifying nontraditional child care needs within the  state  and
 regionally  for  parents  who  work  other than a 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
 shift or part-time, including those  who  work  night  shifts  or  swing
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD06354-01-9

 S. 1147                             2
 
 shifts, and those parents who require early drop off and/or late pick up
 services from their child care provider;
   (f)  identifying  policies  that would encourage the establishment and
 operation of more child day care center  providers  and  increasing  the
 capacity of existing child day care providers;
   (g) identifying policies that would encourage and facilitate expansion
 of quality child day care services by neighbors and in communities where
 the working poor live and/or work; and
   (h) identifying and quantifying those factors that contribute to qual-
 ity  child  day  care, are used to identify child day care providers who
 are  committing  violations,  how  such  violations  are  addressed   or
 prevented,  and  procedures  for  establishing quality child day care in
 those communities with the greatest needs.
   § 2. The office of children and family services may request and  shall
 receive  any  available information from state agencies that is relevant
 and material to the study required by section one of this act.
   § 3. Within twelve months of the  effective  date  of  this  act,  the
 commissioner  of  children and family services shall submit a report, to
 the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of  the
 assembly,  the  minority leader of the senate and the minority leader of
 the assembly, on the office's findings, conclusions and recommendations,
 and shall submit therewith such legislative proposals as the  office  of
 children  and  family  services  shall  deem  necessary to implement its
 recommendations.  In addition, such office shall make such report avail-
 able to the public and post it on the internet website operated  by  the
 office.
   §  4.  This act shall take effect immediately, and shall expire and be
 deemed repealed one year after it shall take effect.

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Senate Bill S1147

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Sponsored By

David Carlucci