Maine Senate passes Sen. Ingwersen bill to invest in Maine’s essential child care system

AUGUSTA — On Tuesday, March 17, the Maine Senate passed a bill from Sen. Henry Ingwersen, D-Arundel, and sent it to the Governor’s desk. LD 1728, “An Act to Improve Affordability, Stability and Access in the Child Care Affordability Program,” seeks to invest in and strengthen Maine’s essential child care system. 

“Whether it’s child care, food, health care or housing, the federal government is making it harder and harder for Maine families to get by,” said Sen. Ingwersen. “While the current federal child care subsidy rules are still in place, we have learned — the hard way — that we cannot take them for granted. Deep cuts to MaineCare and SNAP have a direct, hurtful impact on children and their parents, leaving them sicker and hungrier. With this new law, we are taking action to proactively stand up for working families in Maine.” 

LD 1728, amended to be titled “An Act to Improve Affordability, Stability and Access in the Child Care Affordability Program,” would put into Maine statute the federal child care subsidy rules that change the cap on co-payments for participants in the Child Care Affordability Program from 10% to 7%.

It would allow the Health and Human Services Department to further reduce or waive these co-payments for families with a child with a disability, families experiencing homelessness and families with a foster child. The Department would have to post information related to co-payment amounts on its website. Finally, it would require the Department to issue subsidies based on enrollment, rather than attendance, encouraging more child care providers to participate in child subsidy programs without having to accept below-market rates for child care services. Prior to the final Senate vote, it received unanimous, bipartisan support from the Committee and House of Representatives.

Along with Sen. Ingwersen’s LD 2066, which is awaiting funding, LD 1728 would offer “braided” financial support to maximize financial assistance for child care to Maine families.

LD 1728 now goes to the Governor’s desk. She has 10 days to sign the bill, veto it or allow it to become law without her signature.

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