Senate Bill 1798

    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 1798

    By Senators Mitchell, Dawson and Kurth





    4-204C-00

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to child care; amending s.

  3         402.3015, F.S.; revising eligibility criteria

  4         for specified subsidized child care; providing

  5         an effective date.

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

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  9         Section 1.  Subsections (1) and (4) of section

10  402.3015, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

11         402.3015  Subsidized child care program; purpose; fees;

12  contracts.--

13         (1)  The purpose of the subsidized child care program

14  is to provide quality child care to enhance the development,

15  including language, cognitive, motor, social, and self-help

16  skills of children who are at risk of abuse or neglect and

17  children of low-income families, and to promote financial

18  self-sufficiency and life skills for the families of these

19  children, unless prohibited by federal law. Priority for

20  participation in the subsidized child care program shall be

21  accorded to children under 13 years of age who are:

22         (a)  Determined to be at risk of abuse, neglect, or

23  exploitation and who are currently clients of the department's

24  Children and Families Program Office;

25         (b)  Children at risk of welfare dependency, including

26  children of participants in the WAGES Program, children of

27  migrant farmworkers, children of teen parents, and children

28  from other families at risk of welfare dependency due to a

29  family income of less than 200 100 percent of the federal

30  poverty level;

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






    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 1798
    4-204C-00




  1         (c)  Children of working families whose family income

  2  is equal to or greater than 100 percent, but does not exceed

  3  200 150 percent, of the federal poverty level; and

  4         (d)  Children of working families enrolled in the Child

  5  Care Executive Partnership Program whose family income does

  6  not exceed 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

  7         (4)  A child who is eligible for child care under this

  8  section may continue to participate in the subsidized child

  9  care program, if the family's income does not exceed 200 185

10  percent of the federal poverty level.

11         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.

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14                          SENATE SUMMARY

15    Raises the percentage limitation on maximum family income
      received in relation to the federal poverty level for
16    purposes of eligibility for specified subsidized child
      care.
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