Requires social services districts to maintain a waiting list of families who have applied for child care assistance and data regarding the income of such families, the official text

S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1926
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 14, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  PERSAUD,  KAVANAGH,  SEPULVEDA  -- read twice and
   ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
   Children and Families
 
 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to requiring social
   services  districts  to  maintain  a  waiting list of certain families
   applying for child care assistance

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section  410-z  of  the  social services law, as added by
 section 52 of part B of chapter 436 of the laws of 1997, is  amended  to
 read as follows:
   §  410-z.  Reporting  requirements.  1.  Each social services district
 shall collect and submit to the  [department]  OFFICE  OF  CHILDREN  AND
 FAMILY  SERVICES,  in  such  form and at such times as  specified by the
 [department] OFFICE OF CHILDREN  AND  FAMILY  SERVICES,  such  data  and
 information  regarding  child   care assistance provided under the block
 grant as the [department] OFFICE OF CHILDREN  AND  FAMILY  SERVICES  may
 need to comply with federal reporting requirements.
   2.  (A) EACH SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICT SHALL MAINTAIN A WAITING LIST OF
 ELIGIBLE FAMILIES WHO HAVE APPLIED FOR CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE PURSUANT TO
 THIS  TITLE AND WHO HAVE NOT RECEIVED SUCH ASSISTANCE. SUCH WAITING LIST
 SHALL CONTAIN INFORMATION INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
   (I) THE DATE THE CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE WAS REQUESTED;
   (II) THE DATE THE CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE WAS RECEIVED;
   (III) THE AGE OF THE CHILD OR CHILDREN THE ASSISTANCE WAS REQUESTED ON
 BEHALF OF; AND
   (IV) THE TOTAL NUMBER OF FAMILIES ON SUCH WAITING LIST AS OF THE FIRST
 DAY OF EACH MONTH.
   (B) EACH DISTRICT SHALL ISSUE A REPORT TO THE OFFICE OF  CHILDREN  AND
 FAMILY  SERVICES  BY  OCTOBER  FIFTEENTH, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SEVEN, AND
 ANNUALLY THEREAFTER DETAILING MONTH-TO-MONTH INFORMATION REQUIRED PURSU-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05769-01-5
 S. 1926                             2
 
 ANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION  FOR  THE  PRECEDING  PERIOD  OF  OCTOBER  FIRST
 THROUGH SEPTEMBER THIRTIETH, AND SHALL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
   (I) THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF TIME FOR FAMILIES ON THE WAITING LIST;
   (II)  THE  NUMBER  OF  FAMILIES  ON  THE  WAITING LIST FOR EACH OF THE
 FOLLOWING TIME PERIODS:
   (A) LESS THAN TWO WEEKS,
   (B) TWO WEEKS TO LESS THAN A MONTH,
   (C) ONE MONTH TO LESS THAN THREE MONTHS,
   (D) THREE MONTHS TO LESS THAN SIX MONTHS,
   (E) SIX MONTHS TO LESS THAN A YEAR, AND
   (F) ONE YEAR OR MORE;
   (III) THE AVERAGE AGE OF CHILDREN REPRESENTED ON THE WAITING LIST;
   (IV) THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN REPRESENTED ON THE WAITING  LIST  ELIGIBLE
 FOR EACH:
   (A) INFANT,
   (B) TODDLER,
   (C) PRE-SCHOOL, AND
   (D) SCHOOL-AGED SUBSIDIZED CHILD CARE SLOTS; AND
   (V) THE NUMBER OF EXISTING INFANT, TODDLER, PRE-SCHOOL AND SCHOOL-AGED
 SUBSIDIZED CHILD CARE SLOTS;
   (VI)  THE  NUMBER  OF FAMILIES WHO WOULD RECEIVE CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE
 EXCEPT THAT THEY ARE WAITING FOR AVAILABLE SLOTS IN A  PARTICULAR  CHILD
 CARE PROGRAM; AND
   (VII) OTHER INFORMATION AS THE DISTRICT DEEMS APPROPRIATE.
   3.  (A) EACH SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICT SHALL COLLECT DATA REGARDING THE
 INCOME OF FAMILIES WHO APPLIED FOR CHILD  CARE  ASSISTANCE  PURSUANT  TO
 THIS TITLE, SPECIFYING:
   (I) THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES WHO WERE DENIED;
   (II) THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES WHO RECEIVED SUCH ASSISTANCE; AND
   (III)  A  LISTING  OF  THE  INCOMES  PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (B) OF THIS
 SUBDIVISION OF THE FAMILIES WHO APPLIED FOR SUCH ASSISTANCE.
   (B) EACH DISTRICT SHALL ISSUE A REPORT TO THE OFFICE OF  CHILDREN  AND
 FAMILY  SERVICES  BY  OCTOBER  FIFTEENTH, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SEVEN, AND
 ANNUALLY  THEREAFTER,  DETAILING  MONTH-TO-MONTH  INFORMATION  COLLECTED
 PURSUANT  TO  THIS SUBDIVISION FOR THE PRECEDING PERIOD OF OCTOBER FIRST
 THROUGH SEPTEMBER THIRTIETH, AND SHALL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
   (I) THE NUMBER OF ALL FAMILIES WHO APPLIED FOR AND RECEIVED CHILD CARE
 ASSISTANCE PURSUANT TO THIS TITLE WHOSE:
   (A) INCOMES WERE UNDER FIFTY PERCENT OF THE STATE MEDIAN INCOME  LEVEL
 FOR THEIR FAMILY SIZE,
   (B) INCOMES WERE BETWEEN FIFTY PERCENT AND SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE
 STATE MEDIAN INCOME LEVEL FOR THEIR FAMILY SIZE, AND
   (C)  INCOMES  WERE BETWEEN SEVENTY-FIVE AND EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE
 STATE MEDIAN INCOME LEVEL FOR THEIR FAMILY SIZE; AND
   (II) THE NUMBER OF ALL FAMILIES WHO APPLIED FOR AND WERE DENIED  CHILD
 CARE ASSISTANCE PURSUANT TO THIS TITLE WHOSE:
   (A)  INCOMES WERE UNDER FIFTY PERCENT OF THE STATE MEDIAN INCOME LEVEL
 FOR THEIR FAMILY SIZE,
   (B) INCOMES WERE BETWEEN FIFTY PERCENT AND SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE
 STATE MEDIAN INCOME LEVEL FOR THEIR FAMILY SIZE, AND
   (C) INCOMES WERE BETWEEN SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT AND EIGHTY-FIVE  PERCENT
 OF THE STATE MEDIAN INCOME LEVEL FOR THEIR FAMILY SIZE.
   4.  THE  OFFICE  OF  CHILDREN  AND  FAMILY SERVICES SHALL COMPILE SUCH
 REPORTS PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (B) OF SUBDIVISION TWO, AND PARAGRAPH  (B)
 OF  SUBDIVISION  THREE  OF  THIS  SECTION, INTO ONE COMPREHENSIVE REPORT
 CONTAINING ALL REQUIRED INFORMATION ON A COUNTY BY  COUNTY  BASIS.  SUCH
 S. 1926                             3

 REPORT  SHALL  BE PROVIDED TO THE GOVERNOR, THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY,
 THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, THE CHAIRPERSON OF  THE  ASSEMBLY
 COMMITTEE  ON  CHILDREN  AND  FAMILIES,  THE  CHAIRPERSON  OF THE SENATE
 COMMITTEE  ON  CHILDREN  AND  FAMILIES,  THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE ASSEMBLY
 COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL SERVICES, THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON
 SOCIAL SERVICES, THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE ASSEMBLY WAYS AND MEANS  COMMIT-
 TEE  AND  THE  CHAIRPERSON OF THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE NO LATER THAN
 DECEMBER FIRST, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SEVEN, AND ANNUALLY THEREAFTER.
   5. REPORTS ISSUED AND COMPILED UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL  NOT  USE  THE
 NAME, ADDRESS, OR ANY OTHER IDENTIFYING INFORMATION OF AN INDIVIDUAL WHO
 IS  THE  SUBJECT  OF  THE REPORT AND SHALL ENSURE THE ANONYMITY OF THOSE
 INCLUDED IN THE REPORTS.
   § 2. Nothing in this act shall be construed to  require  local  social
 services  districts  to  maintain  waiting lists for dates preceding the
 effective date of this act, or to collect data pursuant to subdivision 3
 of section 410-z of the social services law, as added by section one  of
 this act, for persons who applied for subsidized child care prior to the
 effective date of this act.
   § 3. This act shall take effect October 1, 2026.  Effective immediate-
 ly,  the  addition,  amendment  and/or  repeal of any rule or regulation
 necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective  date  are
 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.