Florida Senate - 2024                                     SB 120
       
       
        
       By Senator Stewart
       
       
       
       
       
       17-00329-24                                            2024120__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to child care services; amending s.
    3         1002.82, F.S.; requiring the Department of Education,
    4         subject to legislative appropriation, to establish a
    5         program to provide vouchers for child care services to
    6         children within a specified age range whose parents
    7         meet a specified income limitation; authorizing the
    8         State Board of Education to adopt rules; providing an
    9         effective date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section
   14  1002.82, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   15         1002.82 Department of Education; powers and duties.—
   16         (2) The department shall:
   17         (b) Preserve parental choice by:
   18         1. Allowing Permitting parents to choose from a variety of
   19  child care categories, including center-based care, family child
   20  care, and informal child care to the extent authorized in the
   21  state’s Child Care and Development Fund Plan as approved by the
   22  United States Department of Health and Human Services pursuant
   23  to 45 C.F.R. s. 98.18. Care and curriculum by a faith-based
   24  provider may not be limited or excluded in any of these
   25  categories.
   26         2. Subject to the appropriation of funds by the
   27  Legislature, establishing a program through which a parent may
   28  obtain a voucher to subsidize all or a portion of the costs of
   29  child care services for a child older than 18 months of age but
   30  younger than 4 years of age. Only parents whose income is equal
   31  to or below 200 percent of the then-current federal poverty
   32  guidelines prescribed for the household size of the applicant by
   33  the United States Department of Health and Human Services may
   34  participate in the program. The State Board of Education may
   35  adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement
   36  this subparagraph.
   37         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.