House Bill 3727

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.







    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 3727

        By Representative Brennan






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Child Care Executive

  3         Partnership; amending s. 409.178, F.S.;

  4         conforming title of the partnership program;

  5         revising family income eligibility

  6         requirements; revising membership of the

  7         partnership; authorizing administration of

  8         child care purchasing pool funds by the state

  9         resource and referral agency; providing for

10         development of procedures for disbursement of

11         funds through the child care purchasing pools;

12         deleting references to pilot child care

13         purchasing pools; revising parent fee

14         requirements; providing an effective date.

15

16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

17

18         Section 1.  Subsections (1), (3), (4), and (5) of

19  section 409.178, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

20         409.178  Child Care Executive Partnership Act; findings

21  and intent; grant; limitation; rules.--

22         (1)  This section may be cited as the "Child Care

23  Executive Partnership Act."

24         (3)  There is created a body politic and corporate

25  known as the Child Care Executive Partnership which shall

26  establish and govern the Child Care Executive Partnership

27  Program. The purpose of the Child Care Executive Partnership

28  Program is to utilize state and federal funds as incentives

29  for matching local funds derived from local governments,

30  employers, charitable foundations, and other sources, so that

31  Florida communities may create local flexible partnerships

                                  1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 3727

    220-159-98






  1  with employers. The Child Care Executive Partnership Program

  2  funds shall be used at the discretion of local communities to

  3  meet the needs of local communities in addressing the child

  4  care needs of working parents. A child care purchasing pool

  5  shall be developed with the state, federal, and local funds to

  6  provide subsidies to low-income working parents whose family

  7  income does not exceed 200 percent of the federal poverty

  8  level, who are eligible for subsidized child care with a

  9  dollar-for-dollar match from employers, local government, and

10  other matching contributions contributors. The funds used from

11  the child care purchasing pool must be used to supplement or

12  extend the use of existing public or private funds and may not

13  be used to supplant the maintenance of effort presently

14  exerted's by the employer or other participant in the activity

15  funded.

16         (4)  The Child Care Executive Partnership, staffed by

17  the department, shall consist of:

18         (a)  a representative of the Executive Office of the

19  Governor; and.

20         (b)  nine members of the corporate or child care

21  community, appointed by the Governor., to be known hereafter

22  as the "board."

23         (c)  One representative from each of the 10 Child Care

24  Partnership Program pilot purchasing pool counties established

25  by the board, known hereafter as the "oversight group."

26         (a)1.  Members of the board shall serve for a period of

27  4 years, except that.

28         2.  Members of the oversight group and the

29  representative of the Executive Office of the Governor shall

30  serve at the pleasure of the Governor.

31

                                  2

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 3727

    220-159-98






  1         (b)3.  The Child Care Executive Partnership shall be

  2  chaired by a member chosen by a majority vote of the board and

  3  shall meet at least quarterly and at other times upon the call

  4  of the chair.

  5         (c)4.  Members shall serve without compensation, but

  6  may be reimbursed for per diem and travel expenses in

  7  accordance with s. 112.061.

  8         (d)5.  The Child Care Executive Partnership shall have

  9  all the powers and authority, not explicitly prohibited by

10  statute, necessary to carry out and effectuate the purposes of

11  this section, as well as the functions, duties, and

12  responsibilities of the partnership, including, but not

13  limited to, the following:

14         1.a.  Assisting in the formulation and coordination of

15  the state's child care policy.

16         2.b.  Adopting an official seal.

17         3.c.  Soliciting, accepting, receiving, investing, and

18  expending funds from public or private sources.

19         4.d.  Contracting with public or private entities as

20  necessary.

21         5.e.  Approving an annual budget.

22         6.f.  Carrying forward any unexpended state

23  appropriations into succeeding fiscal years.

24         7.g.  Providing a report to the Governor, the Speaker

25  of the House of Representatives, and the President of the

26  Senate, on or before December 1 of each year.

27         (5)(a)  The Legislature shall annually determine the

28  amount of state or federal low-income child care moneys which

29  shall be used to create Child Care Executive Partnership

30  Program child care purchasing pools in counties chosen by the

31  board of the Child Care Executive Partnership through June 30,

                                  3

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 3727

    220-159-98






  1  1998, provided that at least two of the counties have

  2  populations of no more than 300,000. After that date, The

  3  Legislature shall annually review the effectiveness of the

  4  child care purchasing pool program and reevaluate the

  5  percentage of additional state or federal funds, if any, that

  6  can be used for the program's expansion.

  7         (b)  To ensure a seamless service delivery and ease of

  8  access for families, the community coordinated child care

  9  agencies or the state resource and referral agency shall

10  administer the child care purchasing pool funds.

11         (c)  The department, in conjunction with the Child Care

12  Executive Partnership, shall develop procedures for

13  disbursement of funds through the shall issue a request for

14  proposal for the operation of the pilot child care purchasing

15  pools. In order to be considered for funding, the community

16  coordinated child care agency or the statewide resource and

17  referral agency must commit to:

18         1.  Matching the state pilot purchasing pool funds on a

19  dollar-for-dollar basis; and

20         2.  Expending only those public funds which are matched

21  by employers, local government, and other matching

22  contributors who contribute to the pilot purchasing pool.

23  Parents shall also pay a fee, which shall be not less than the

24  amount identified in based upon the department's subsidized

25  child care sliding fee scale.

26         (d)  Each community coordinated child care agency shall

27  be required to establish a community child care task force for

28  each pilot child care purchasing pool. The task force must be

29  composed of employers, parents, private child care providers,

30  and one representative each from the district interagency

31  coordinating council for children's services and the local

                                  4

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 3727

    220-159-98






  1  children's services council, if they exist in the area of the

  2  pilot purchasing pool. The community coordinated child care

  3  agency is expected to recruit the task force members from

  4  existing child care councils, commissions, or task forces

  5  already operating in the area of a pilot purchasing pool. A

  6  majority of the task force shall consist of employers.  Each

  7  task force shall develop a plan for the use of child care

  8  purchasing pool funds. The plan must show how many children

  9  will be served by the pilot purchasing pool, how many will be

10  new to receiving child care services, and how the community

11  coordinated child care agency intends to attract new employers

12  and their employees to the program pilot project.

13         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1 of the

14  year in which enacted.

15

16            *****************************************

17                          HOUSE SUMMARY

18
      Renames the "Child Care Partnership Program" as the
19    "Child Care Executive Partnership Program." Provides
      eligibility for families with incomes at or below 200
20    percent of federal poverty level. Authorizes
      administration of child care purchasing pool funds by the
21    state resource and referral agency, as well as the
      community coordinated child care agencies. Directs the
22    Department of Children and Family Services to develop
      procedures for disbursement of funds through the child
23    care purchasing pools. Requires parent fees to be at
      least equal to the amounts on the subsidized child care
24    sliding fee scale. Removes references to pilot child care
      purchasing pools. Eliminates the "oversight group"
25    members of the partnership, representing the counties
      with pilot purchasing pools.
26

27

28

29

30

31

                                  5