Bill Text: NY A05753 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Establishes the statewide childcare workforce living wage fund to improve workforce conditions for employees of childcare services and programs through grants for salary increases, workforce retention bonuses and recruitment bonuses, indirect costs associated with implementing salary increases and bonuses, costs associated with employee health and fringe benefits and provider pay in certain circumstances; makes an appropriation therefor.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to children and families [A05753 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A05753-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5753

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     March 23, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. HEVESI -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Children and Families

        AN  ACT  to  amend the social services law and the state finance law, in
          relation to creating the statewide  childcare  workforce  living  wage
          fund  to  improve  workforce  conditions  for  employees  of childcare
          services and  programs;  and  making  an  appropriation  for  services
          related  to  improving workforce conditions for employees of childcare
          services and programs authorized to receive funding from the statewide
          childcare workforce living wage fund

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  Section  153-k  of  the social services law is amended by
     2  adding a new subdivision 13 to read as follows:
     3    13. (a) To the extent that monies are made available  to  the  commis-
     4  sioner  of the office of children and family services from the statewide
     5  childcare workforce living wage fund  established  pursuant  to  section
     6  ninety-seven-bbbbb  of the state finance law, the office of children and
     7  family services is authorized to conduct activities to improve workforce
     8  conditions  for  the  employees  of  eligible  childcare  services   and
     9  programs.  Priority  shall  be given to programs and providers of family
    10  day care and home-based care.
    11    (b) The office of children and family services shall create  and  make
    12  widely  available a consolidated application for the statewide childcare
    13  workforce living wage fund no later than June first, two thousand  twen-
    14  ty-three.  Eligibility  for  the first round of payments shall be deter-
    15  mined by July fifteenth,  two  thousand  twenty-three.  First  round  of
    16  payments  to  providers  who filed applications on or before July first,
    17  two thousand twenty-three will be made by August fifteenth, two thousand
    18  twenty-three  to  provide  compensation.  All  providers  and   programs
    19  approved  for  grants  pursuant  to  this  subdivision shall be provided

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10066-01-3

        A. 5753                             2

     1  twelve monthly grant payments, or monthly grant payments until funds are
     2  exhausted, whichever the former.
     3    § 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 97-bbbbb
     4  to read as follows:
     5    §  97-bbbbb. Statewide childcare workforce living wage fund. 1.  There
     6  is hereby established in the joint custody of the state comptroller  and
     7  the  commissioner  of  taxation  and  finance  a fund to be known as the
     8  statewide childcare workforce living wage fund.
     9    2. The statewide childcare workforce living wage fund shall consist of
    10  moneys appropriated, credited or transferred thereto from any other fund
    11  or source.
    12    3. Moneys of the statewide childcare workforce living wage fund, shall
    13  be made available to the commissioner of  the  office  of  children  and
    14  family  services  for activities to improve workforce conditions for the
    15  employees of eligible childcare services and programs which may include,
    16  but not be limited to, salary increases, workforce retention bonuses and
    17  recruitment bonuses, indirect costs associated with implementing  salary
    18  increases  and bonuses, costs associated with employee health and fringe
    19  benefits and may also include, provider pay if a provider's pay is below
    20  twice the minimum wage set forth in article nineteen of the labor law.
    21    4. The office of children and family services shall submit a report to
    22  the governor and the legislature by January thirty-first,  two  thousand
    23  twenty-four and annually thereafter detailing all expenditures made from
    24  the  statewide  childcare workforce living wage fund during the previous
    25  year, and the office's priorities for allocating funds from  the  state-
    26  wide childcare workforce living wage fund for the current year.
    27    §  3.  1.  The sum of one billion dollars ($1,000,000,000), or so much
    28  thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any moneys in
    29  the general fund to the credit of the  office  of  children  and  family
    30  services,  which  are  necessary  for services and benefits necessary to
    31  implement projects and purposes authorized to receive funding  from  the
    32  statewide  childcare  workforce  living  wage  fund  pursuant to section
    33  97-bbbbb of the state finance law.
    34    2. Such moneys shall be payable on the audit and warrant of the  state
    35  comptroller  on  vouchers certified or approved in the manner prescribed
    36  by law.
    37    § 4. The office of children  and  family  services  shall  immediately
    38  establish  rules  and  regulations  for the timely implementation of the
    39  provisions of this act.
    40    § 5. This act shall take effect immediately and  shall  be  deemed  to
    41  have been in full force and effect on and after April 1, 2023; provided,
    42  however, that the amendments to section 153-k of the social services law
    43  made  by  section  one  of  this act shall not affect the repeal of such
    44  section and shall be deemed to repeal therewith.
feedback