Bill Text: NJ A4932 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes five-year Tri-Share Child Care Pilot Program; appropriates $15 million.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-05-07 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Children, Families and Food Security Committee [A4932 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-A4932-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman KENYATTA STEWART
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Kearney
SYNOPSIS
Establishes five-year Tri-Share Child Care Pilot Program; appropriates $15 million.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing Tri-Share Child Care Pilot Program and supplementing Title 34 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Tri-Share Child Care Pilot Program Act."
2. As used in this act:
"Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development.
"Child care provider" means a child care provider operating a facility licensed pursuant to P.L.1983, c.492 (C.30:5B-1 et seq.) or a family day care provider registered pursuant to P.L.1987, c.27 (C.30:5B-16 et seq.).
"Eligible employee" means an individual employed by a participating employer, who is not otherwise receiving subsidized child care in the State, and who may reside outside of the designated region of a regional facilitator hub.
"Program" means the Tri-Share Child Care Pilot Program established pursuant to section 3 of this act.
"Regional facilitator hub" means a local partnership selected by the commissioner pursuant to section 4 of this act to administer the program on a regional basis.
3. a. The Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, in consultation with the Commissioner of Children and Families, shall establish a five-year Tri-Share Child Care Pilot Program to create a public-private partnership to share the cost of child care between an employer, eligible employee, and the State to:
(1) make high-quality child care affordable and accessible for working families;
(2) help employers retain and attract employees; and
(3) help stabilize child care providers across the State.
b. The commissioner shall establish an application form that an eligible employee may submit to the commissioner for benefits provided under this act, which shall include:
(1) a joint attestation by the employer and eligible employee that, if the commissioner approves the application, the employer and eligible employee will each pay one-third of the eligible child care costs charged by an eligible child care provider during a specified period with respect to the child;
(2) the name and business address of the employer;
(3) the name and residential address of the parent or guardian;
(4) the name, age, and residential address of the child;
(5) an attestation from the parent employee that the parent employee is employed by the employer; and
(6) sufficient information for the commissioner to verify that the parent is employed by the employer and the family income of the family of the parent and child in each pay period.
c. (1) The commissioner may approve an application submitted pursuant to subsection b. of this section.
(2) In considering applications, the commissioner shall verify the information described in paragraph (6) of subsection b. and take into account the needs of eligible employees and the availability of funds provided pursuant to section 6 of this act.
d. The commissioner shall pay to an eligible child care provider selected by an eligible employee whose application is approved pursuant to subsection c. of this section an amount equal to the State's share of eligible child care costs incurred during the period specified in the application with respect to the eligible child identified in the application.
e. (1) Monies appropriated pursuant to this act shall be used to provide the State portion of funding for the program. The State contribution shall not exceed one-third of the eligible child care costs for each approved participant, subject to the availability of funds.
(2) Funds appropriated pursuant to this act shall be divided evenly among the regional facilitator hubs selected to participate in the program. Any unexpended funds shall revert to the General Fund.
f. The commissioner shall give priority to applications submitted by eligible employees who are low- or moderate-income, employed as essential workers, or employed in the public sector, as determined by the commissioner.
g. Participation in the program by an employer shall not result in the reduction, replacement, or elimination of any existing employer-provided child care benefits.
h. The commissioner may require the repayment or recapture of funds disbursed under the program in cases of fraud, misrepresentation, or noncompliance with the provisions of this act, in a manner determined by the commissioner.
i. The commissioner may conduct outreach to employers and employees to promote awareness of, and participation in, the program.
j. The commissioner may adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) to effectuate the provisions of this act.
4. a. The commissioner shall select no less than three and no more than five geographically diverse local partnerships to serve as regional facilitator hubs to implement and administer the program and act as regional intermediaries between employers, families, child care providers, and the State.
b. The local partnerships selected to serve as regional facilitator hubs shall assist in administering and determining program eligibility.
c. The regional facilitator hubs shall develop and implement other criteria for the program, including, but not limited to:
(1) ensuring payment for the cost of child care is divided equally between an employer, an eligible employee, and the State, not to exceed the maximum amount of benefits provided under the State child care assistance program;
(2) recruiting participating employers and licensed child care providers;
(3) ensuring participating employers agree to:
(a) identify and recruit eligible employees;
(b) provide the employer portion of each participating employee's child care costs; and
(c) maintain communication with the regional facilitator hub regarding each eligible employee's continued employment and eligibility;
(4) verifying that participating child care providers meet State licensure requirements;
(5) making final determinations regarding a referred employee's eligibility; and
(6) coordinating and facilitating payments between employers, employees, and licensed child care providers.
d. A regional facilitator hub may use up to nine percent of its allocation for administrative costs.
e. The commissioner shall ensure, to the extent practicable, that participation in the program reflects geographic diversity across urban, suburban, and rural regions of the State and includes employers from a diverse range of industry sectors.
5. No later than one year after the effective date of this act and annually thereafter for the duration of the program, the commissioner shall submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), concerning the effectiveness of the program, which shall include, at a minimum, each of the following:
(1) the number of children served, by age and county;
(2) total program costs, including any administrative costs;
(3) the amount of funds needed for program expansion, if recommended;
(4) the list of employers participating in the program;
(5) employee retention rates and workforce stability among participating employers;
(6) the impact of the program on child care provider capacity and financial stability;
(7) any other relevant information regarding the impact of the program; and
(8) a recommendation regarding the continuation, expansion, or modification of the program;
6. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development the sum of $15,000,000 to effectuate the purposes of this act.
7. This act shall take effect on the first day of the sixth month following the enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the five-year Tri-Share Child Care Pilot Program.
The bill requires the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, in consultation with the Commissioner of Children and Families, to establish a five-year Tri-Share Child Care Pilot Program to create a public-private partnership that shares the cost of child care among participating employers, eligible employees, and the State.
Under the bill, the employer, eligible employee, and the State will each contribute one-third of the cost of eligible child care costs, subject to the availability of funds and a cap based on the maximum subsidy provided under the State child care assistance program.
The bill directs the commissioner to select no less than three and no more than five geographically diverse local partnerships to serve as regional facilitator hubs to implement and administer the program and act as regional intermediaries between employers, families, child care providers, and the State. The regional facilitator hubs will assist in administering and determining program eligibility and developing program criteria. Funds appropriated under the bill are to be divided evenly among the selected regional facilitator hubs. A regional facilitator hub may use up to nine percent of its allocation for administrative costs.
The bill requires the commissioner to submit annual reports for the duration of the five-year program to the Governor and the Legislature concerning the effectiveness of the program and a recommendation regarding the continuation, expansion, or modification of the program
The bill appropriates $15 million from the General Fund to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to effectuate the purposes of the bill.
