Amend the bill by striking out all of sections 1 and 2 and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §3737, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2001, c. 394, §1, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:
Amend the bill in section 3 in the last line (page 1, line 29 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: "parameters." the following: 'The providers of home visiting and other home-based family services participating in the collaborative process shall report on their progress to the department by January 1st of each year beginning in 2014. The department shall report on that progress to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters by February 1st of each year beginning in 2014.'
Amend the bill by striking out all of sections 4 to 6 and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 4. Head Start funding. State Head Start program funding must be targeted to the most at-risk children and families, including those who are affected by drugs or involved with the child welfare system, and to children with special needs. State funds must be used for Early Head Start program services when possible. Early Head Start program funding must be used for center-based services, unless otherwise negotiated with the Department of Health and Human Services. The department shall direct all new Head Start program funding appropriated for, or allocated for, Head Start program purposes for fiscal year 2013-14 and fiscal year 2014-15 above the level of appropriations and allocations made in the state budget for fiscal year 2011-12 and fiscal year 2012-13 to the Early Head Start program for use by Early Head Start program enrollees.
Sec. 5. At-risk children. By January 1, 2014, the Child Care Advisory Council shall recommend to the Department of Health and Human Services specific changes in rules or policies governing child care services that will assist families with child care when needed to allow parents to obtain needed health care treatment, including treatment for mental illness and substance abuse, to reduce a child's potential exposure to adverse childhood experiences and to ameliorate the consequences to the child of exposure to adverse childhood experiences. The department shall adopt rules by April 30, 2014 that improve child care services for children, taking into consideration the recommendations of the Child Care Advisory Council. The timing of rulemaking may be modified to the extent necessary to meet federal Child Care and Development Fund state plan modification requirements. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 6. Child Care Advisory Council report. The Child Care Advisory Council shall include in its 2014 annual report pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, section 3739 the recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to section 4. The report must also provide an update on the funding and use of the early childhood professional development registry.’
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section number to read consecutively.
summary
This amendment makes a number of changes to the bill.
1. It removes all references to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program from the bill.
2. It removes the section that would have required the Department of Health and Human Services to amend its rules regarding child care rates.
3. It requires, in the provision regarding home visiting services collaboration, the providers of home visiting and other home-based family services that receive funding from the department to report annually to the department and requires the department to report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature with jurisdiction over health and human services matters.
4. It replaces the section that would have directed all new Head Start program funding to the Early Head Start program with a requirement for state Head Start program funding to be targeted to the most at-risk children and families. Early Head Start program funding must be used for center-based services except when otherwise negotiated by the department.
5. It replaces the section that would have required the Child Care Advisory Council to develop a definition of "at-risk child." Instead, the council is required to make recommendations to the department regarding specific changes in rules or policies governing child care services. The department is required to take into account the recommendations during its rule-making process.
6. It requires the Child Care Advisory Council to include in its 2014 annual report the recommendations made to the department regarding child care services rules or policies, as well as an update on the funding and use of the early childhood professional development registry. It removes the requirement for the department to adopt rules regarding the registry.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)