Bills We’re Watching: March 15 update
The Joining Voices team is watching for opportunities to engage in these bills this legislative session! We are approaching an important point in the legislative calendar: crossover. This year “crossover” is March 18. If a bill doesn’t pass the House until after March 18, as it heads to the Senate the Rules Committee will decide whether and how it can be heard in the right committee. If a bill doesn’t pass the Senate until after March 18, as it heads to the House the Rules Committee will decide whether and how it can be heard as well. This holding pattern does not have to mean it is over, but, it is a more challenging path forward.
| The State Budget |
| The Senate agrees that the Governor’s proposed investment in child care is a good idea! However, at least as of today, they’re setting up for parent copays to come back and waiting lists to return. Advocacy is needed especially in the House to help make the smart investment choices for our community. |
| Growing Opportunities for Family Child Care (GOFCC) |
| This bill calls for making GOFCC permanent (currently, it is officially only a “pilot” project) and mandating an annual appropriation of funds.
Did you know: 11 family child care programs have opened in Prince George’s and Anne Arundel Counties thanks to GoFCC? Another 30 individuals are working with the Child Resource Connect team now, including 6 people in an all Spanish-speaking GOFCC cohort! Good news: the Senate budget includes an investment for FY25 for GOFCC! We still need these bills to pass to make it all come together. A vote is expected in the Senate Education, Energy and Environment Committee! |
| Child Care Career and Professional Development Fund |
| CRC summary: This bill calls for altering (updating) the qualifications for an award from the Child Care Career and Professional Development Fund to include a service obligation to work in an approved child care setting for at least 20 hours per week; requiring the Office of Child Care to prioritize grant awards to applicants who have not completed any college courses for credit, and, importantly, an applicant who attends or has been accepted by an accredited college or university that offers native language or bilingual coursework in early childhood education or a related field!
Action update: This bill passed in the Senate! On to action in the House of Delegates! New: There will be a hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee on March 20 at 1:00. Anyone can sign up to speak or submit written testimony. Sign-up and testimony submission can happen March 18 between 8 AM and 6 PM, using a MyGA account. HB 600/ SB 500 Education – Child Care Career and Professional Development Fund – Alterations |
| Minimum Age for Child Care Teachers |
| Currently, MSDE regulation holds that center staff must be at least 16; large family child care home providers must be at least 16, and family child care home providers must be at least 18. This bill would put into law (and not leave it to the regulations) a minimum age of 18 to work in centers and family child care. Currently the law says nothing about a minimum age to do this work.
· HB 662 bill text This bill passed the Maryland House and crossed over to be considered in the Maryland Senate! Find out more about the bill’s process and progress here! |