Re: SB 25.13 Reduction of Childcare Costs Act (Passed)

[Dr. MB]

A BILL

To mitigate the costs of childcare due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Be it ordained by the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Section I. Title
i. The title of this legislation shall be the Reduction of Childcare Costs Act
ii. The purpose of this legislation is to reduce childcare costs

Section II. Provisions
i. In response to the declared public health emergency, to hereby establish a national child care stabilization fund
ii. The national child care fund shall be financed through taxation
iii. To establish categorical grants to each state in the Republic of Atlasia, child care stabilization grants shall be authorized to the appropriate agency of each state
iv. The fund shall not exceed an amount of $50,000,000
v. The fund may also be used to grant child care tax subsidies to states through revenue sharing, which in turn, can direct them to municipalities

Section III. Use of Grants
i. The state agency may only use the grants established by law to carry out activities to improve the supply and quality of child care such as conducting community assessment of child care centers OR to aid individuals in reducing their childcare costs by applying to the appropriate state agency
ii. The grant amount shall be based on the operating expenses of centers

People's House of Representatives
Passed 6-1-0-2 in the House of Representatives

Sponsor needed.

[Mike Thick]

I can sponsor

[Mike Thick]

Ack, sorry. Here goes.

In areas where schools are closed, people that can't afford childcare have a choice: go to work and leave your child at home alone, or take care of your kid and miss a paycheck. For one thing, this makes Atlasia's efforts to safely reopen nearly impossible -- if people can't work, the economy can't get back off the ground. But moreover, this crisis is a moral one. Atlasians, through no fault of their own, have been put in a position where they must choose between their families and their livelihoods. It's our duty to step up and lend a hand.

This bill tackles the problem head-on, allocating money to state governments to address the burgeoning cost of providing childcare. I support it in full, and encourage you all to do the same.

[Former President tack50]

Looks great but this is something that should be done pandemic or not?

Either way I fully support this

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Shouldn't this be 26:09? or am I missing something? https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=392743.msg7566772#msg7566772

[Mike Thick]

Looks great but this is something that should be done pandemic or not?

I'm not sure what you mean by this

[Former President tack50]

Looks great but this is something that should be done pandemic or not?

I'm not sure what you mean by this

Basically that we should keep thuis indefinitely and separate it from the pandemic response

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Looks great but this is something that should be done pandemic or not?

I'm not sure what you mean by this

Basically that we should keep thuis indefinitely and separate it from the pandemic response

How would that change affect the cost considerations?

[Former President tack50]

Looks great but this is something that should be done pandemic or not?

I'm not sure what you mean by this

Basically that we should keep thuis indefinitely and separate it from the pandemic response

How would that change affect the cost considerations?

Well I don't seee any sunset provisions here so even as it stands now it would be kept indefinitely (I was thinking more about the opening statement and the part of the bill that says "in response to the pandemic").

50 million dollars is almost nothing on the greater scale of the Atlasian federal budget (if we really wanted we could reduce the fund to 44 million or 49.999 million so that it rounds down instead of up)

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Looks great but this is something that should be done pandemic or not?

I'm not sure what you mean by this

Basically that we should keep thuis indefinitely and separate it from the pandemic response

How would that change affect the cost considerations?

Well I don't seee any sunset provisions here so even as it stands now it would be kept indefinitely (I was thinking more about the opening statement and the part of the bill that says "in response to the pandemic").

50 million dollars is almost nothing on the greater scale of the Atlasian federal budget (if we really wanted we could reduce the fund to 44 million or 49.999 million so that it rounds down instead of up)

I read that wrong.

What can be reasonably accomplished with $50 million even short term?

[Former President tack50]

Looks great but this is something that should be done pandemic or not?

I'm not sure what you mean by this

Basically that we should keep thuis indefinitely and separate it from the pandemic response

How would that change affect the cost considerations?

Well I don't seee any sunset provisions here so even as it stands now it would be kept indefinitely (I was thinking more about the opening statement and the part of the bill that says "in response to the pandemic").

50 million dollars is almost nothing on the greater scale of the Atlasian federal budget (if we really wanted we could reduce the fund to 44 million or 49.999 million so that it rounds down instead of up)

I read that wrong.

What can be reasonably accomplished with $50 million even short term?

I don't know but that's what the original sponsor put in place. 50 million does not seem like much.

Apparently according to the first statistic I was able to find, there are 856k daycare operators in the US. If this was given as a flat sum to each daycare operator, that means that each centre would get 58$. I have never ran a daycare centre, but I don't think 58$ is really all that much money. Even if we assume this would get means tested and what not I don't think you can get much higher than somewhere around 250$.

So on paper increasing the fund would be a good idea.

On the other hand, insert usual concerns about the deficit here. But even if we quadrupled the fund, 200 million is still not that much in the greater scheme of the federal budget, which is measured in billions.

My personal recommendation would be to increase this from 50 million to somewhere around 250 million

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

It does seem kind of small in that sense, so you planning to offer an amendment then to increase said fund?

[Former President tack50]

Introducing the following amendment to increase the funding to something more impactful:

A BILL

To mitigate the costs of childcare due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Be it ordained by the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Section I. Title
i. The title of this legislation shall be the Reduction of Childcare Costs Act
ii. The purpose of this legislation is to reduce childcare costs

Section II. Provisions
i. In response to the declared public health emergency, to hereby establish a national child care stabilization fund
ii. The national child care fund shall be financed through taxation
iii. To establish categorical grants to each state in the Republic of Atlasia, child care stabilization grants shall be authorized to the appropriate agency of each state
iv. The fund shall not exceed an amount of $50,000,000 $300,000,000
v. The fund may also be used to grant child care tax subsidies to states through revenue sharing, which in turn, can direct them to municipalities

Section III. Use of Grants
i. The state agency may only use the grants established by law to carry out activities to improve the supply and quality of child care such as conducting community assessment of child care centers OR to aid individuals in reducing their childcare costs by applying to the appropriate state agency
ii. The grant amount shall be based on the operating expenses of centers

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Senators have 24 hours to object.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

The amendment is adopted.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

We ready for a Final Vote?

[Former President tack50]

Motion for a final vote

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

A Final vote is now open on this legislation, Senators please vote Aye, Nay or Abstain.

[Former President tack50]

aye

[Devout Centrist]

Aye

[At-Large Senator LouisvilleThunder]

Aye

[Mike Thick]

Aye

[Esteemed Jimmy]

Aye

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

AYE

[Mike Thick]

The vote is now closed. The bill has passed with six ayes, zero nays, and zero abstentions.