FILED ON: 3/21/2016

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4117

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

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An Act providing immediate childcare assistance to homeless families.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Chapter 15D of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2014 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

              Section 19. (a) A family residing in a temporary shelter, including but not limited to a congregate, motel, co-sheltering or scattered-site shelter provided through the department of housing and community development, a shelter provided through the department of children and families or a domestic violence shelter, shall be deemed to meet the department’s service need requirements for subsidized full-time child care and shall be eligible for subsidized child care for a minimum of 6 months while residing in said shelter. If, after 6 months, a family continues to reside in shelter, financial and non-service need eligibility factors shall be verified in order to receive subsidized child care.

              (b) Parents receiving a child care subsidy pursuant to this section after 6 months in shelter may be required to contribute to the cost of child care services they receive in accordance with the sliding fee scale established by the department pending verification of financial and other non-service need eligibility factors.

              (c) A family receiving a child care subsidy pursuant to this section shall continue to be deemed to meet the department’s service need requirements for full-time subsidized child care for 30 days after the family leaves shelter. A family seeking to continue to receive child care financial assistance for more than 30 days after the family leaves shelter shall continue to receive such assistance provided the family meets the department’s requirements for an income eligible child care subsidy.

SECTION 2. The department of early education and care shall adopt regulations or policies to implement this act within 90 days of the effective date of this act.