Amendment ID: S2378-18

Amendment 18

Early Educator Rates

Mr. Moore moves to amend the bill by inserting after section _____ the following section :- 

“SECTION ____. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the board and department of early education and care shall ensure that, in fiscal year 2020, the following initiatives are fully funded: (a) not less than $20,000,000 shall be expended on an across-the-board rate increase for center-based programs, including family child care system administrative rates, (b) the daily add-on rate that is paid on supportive, homeless and teen parent contracts is increased by $0.78 from $18.22 to $19 per day for supportive, teen parent and homeless add-on rates only and (c) all center-based rates shall be increased to the 30th percentile in those regions and program types where the reimbursement rates are below the 30th percentile of the market rate as determined by the 2018 Market Rate Survey that was prepared on behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by Public Consulting Group, Inc. and presented to the Board on June 12, 2018. In funding these initiatives, the department is authorized to transfer funds between items 3000-1042, 3000-3060 and 3000-4060, as necessary, under an allocation plan which shall detail by object class the distribution of the funds to be transferred. This plan shall be included in a report which shall also update the legislature on the progress made in implementing the department of children and families short term child care program implemented by the department beginning in March 2019, and the department of transitional assistance relative caregiver program implemented by the department in May 2019, along with any updated budgets for these 2 initiatives. The report shall further detail all steps taken by the board and department to ensure that funds provided through items 3000-3060 and 3000-4060 are fully utilized for the benefit of children in need, without cost overruns, and that any fiscal year 2020 surplus is not greater than 5 per cent of the items’ total appropriation. This report shall be delivered to the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on education, and the chairs of the house and senate ways and means committees not later than December 1, 2019. Further, the board of early education and care shall give notice of the commencement of public comment on any new or revised proposal or motion seeking to distribute funds in a manner that is inconsistent with or a departure from prior distribution of funds not less than 30 days before the board’s adoption of the motion, except in cases of special emergency; provided further the public may review and provide comment on any new or revised proposal or motion during that time period; provided further the department shall provide said notice with the joint committee on education and the house and senate committees on ways and means.”