SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1958        FILED ON: 1/20/2017

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 257

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Linda Dorcena Forry

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act providing immediate childcare assistance to homeless families.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

 

Linda Dorcena Forry

First Suffolk

 

Jason M. Lewis

Fifth Middlesex

2/1/2017

Thomas M. McGee

Third Essex

2/1/2017

Jack Lewis

7th Middlesex

2/1/2017

William L. Crocker, Jr.

2nd Barnstable

2/1/2017

Mathew Muratore

1st Plymouth

2/1/2017

Patrick M. O'Connor

Plymouth and Norfolk

2/1/2017

Todd M. Smola

1st Hampden

2/1/2017

Joan B.  Lovely

Second Essex

2/1/2017

Sal N. DiDomenico

Middlesex and Suffolk

2/1/2017

Brian M. Ashe

2nd Hampden

2/1/2017

Daniel Cullinane

12th Suffolk

2/1/2017

Denise Provost

27th Middlesex

2/1/2017

Jay R. Kaufman

15th Middlesex

2/1/2017

Michael D. Brady

Second Plymouth and Bristol

2/1/2017

Paul R. Heroux

2nd Bristol

2/1/2017

Michael J. Barrett

Third Middlesex

2/2/2017

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

2/3/2017

Eileen M. Donoghue

First Middlesex

2/3/2017

Anne M. Gobi

Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex

2/3/2017

Eric P. Lesser

First Hampden and Hampshire

2/3/2017

Patricia D. Jehlen

Second Middlesex

2/3/2017

Mary S. Keefe

15th Worcester

2/3/2017

William N. Brownsberger

Second Suffolk and Middlesex

 

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

2/6/2017

Sonia Chang-Diaz

Second Suffolk

3/3/2017

Cynthia Stone Creem

First Middlesex and Norfolk

3/16/2017


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1958        FILED ON: 1/20/2017

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 257

By Ms. Forry, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 257) of Linda Dorcena Forry, Jason M. Lewis, Thomas M. McGee, Jack Lewis and other members of the General Court for legislation to provide immediate childcare assistance to homeless families.  Education.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 286 OF 2015-2016.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

_______________

 

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 public health 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.