S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  9029--A
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                May 4, 2022
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sens. RAMOS, CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed, and
   when printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and Families
   --  committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended
   and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to the duration  of
   child care assistance for eligible families

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section 410-w of the social services  law,
 as  amended  by  chapter  569 of the laws of 2001, is amended to read as
 follows:
   3. A social services district shall guarantee child care assistance to
 families in receipt of public assistance with  children  under  thirteen
 years  of  age when such child care assistance is necessary for a parent
 or caretaker relative to engage in work or participate  in  work  activ-
 ities pursuant to the provisions of title nine-B of article five of this
 chapter.  Child care assistance shall continue to be guaranteed for such
 a family for a period of twelve months OR MAY BE PROVIDED  BY  A  SOCIAL
 SERVICE  DISTRICT FOR A PERIOD UP TO TWENTY-FOUR MONTHS, after the month
 in which the family's eligibility for public assistance  has  terminated
 or ended when such child care is necessary in order to enable the parent
 or  caretaker  relative  to  engage  in work, provided that the family's
 public assistance has been terminated as a result of an increase in  the
 hours  of  or  income  from  employment  or  increased income from child
 support payments or because the  family  voluntarily  ended  assistance;
 that  the family received public assistance in at least three of the six
 months preceding the month in  which  eligibility  for  such  assistance
 terminated or ended or provided that such family has received child care
 assistance under subdivision four of this section; and that the family's
 income does not exceed two hundred percent of the state income standard.
 Such  child day care shall recognize the need for continuity of care for
 the child and a district shall not move a child from an existing provid-
 er unless the participant consents to such move.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13451-04-2
              

 S. 9029--A                          2
 
   § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 410-w of the  social  services  law,  as
 amended  by  section  2  of part L of chapter 56 of the laws of 2022, is
 amended to read as follows:
   3. A social services district shall guarantee child care assistance to
 families  in  receipt  of public assistance with children under thirteen
 years of age when such child care assistance is necessary for  a  parent
 or  caretaker  relative  to engage in work or participate in work activ-
 ities pursuant to the provisions of title nine-B of article five of this
 chapter. Child care assistance shall continue to be guaranteed for  such
 a  family  for  a period of twelve months OR MAY BE PROVIDED BY A SOCIAL
 SERVICE DISTRICT FOR A PERIOD UP TO TWENTY-FOUR MONTHS, after the  month
 in  which  the family's eligibility for public assistance has terminated
 or ended when such child care is necessary in order to enable the parent
 or caretaker relative to engage in  work,  provided  that  the  family's
 public  assistance has been terminated as a result of an increase in the
 hours of or income  from  employment  or  increased  income  from  child
 support  payments  or  because  the family voluntarily ended assistance;
 that the family received public assistance in at least three of the  six
 months  preceding  the  month  in  which eligibility for such assistance
 terminated or ended or provided that such family has received child care
 assistance under subdivision four of this  section;  that  the  family's
 income does not exceed two hundred percent of the state income standard,
 or  three  hundred percent of the state income standard effective August
 first, two thousand twenty-two; and that  the  family  income  does  not
 exceed  eighty-five  percent  of the state median income. Such child day
 care shall recognize the need for continuity of care for the child and a
 district shall not move a child from an  existing  provider  unless  the
 participant consents to such move.
   §  3.  Subdivision  5  of section 410-w of the social services law, as
 added by chapter 569 of the laws of 2001, is amended to read as follows:
   5. A. A family eligible for child care assistance PURSUANT TO SUBDIVI-
 SION ONE OF THIS SECTION,  UNLESS  SUCH  FAMILY  VOLUNTARILY  ENDS  SUCH
 ASSISTANCE, SHALL BE DEEMED ELIGIBLE FOR A PERIOD OF NO LESS THAN TWELVE
 MONTHS  FROM  THE DATE OF THE ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION FOR SUCH ASSIST-
 ANCE AND A SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICT MAY ELECT TO EXTEND THIS  PERIOD  UP
 TO TWENTY-FOUR MONTHS.
   (B) A FAMILY ELIGIBLE FOR CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE under paragraph (a) of
 subdivision  one  of  this  section  shall suffer no break in child care
 services and shall not be required to reapply  for  such  assistance  so
 long as eligibility under subdivision three of this section continues.
   §  4.  This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
 if section 2 of part L of chapter 56 of the laws of 2022 shall not  have
 taken  effect on or before such date, then section two of this act shall
 take effect on the same date and in the same manner as chapter 56 of the
 laws of 2022 takes effect.