BILL NUMBER: AB 315	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 1, 2009
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 6, 2009
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 14, 2009

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member De Leon

                        FEBRUARY 18, 2009

   An act to add Section 8222.2 to the Education Code, relating to
child care and development services.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 315, as amended, De Leon. Child care and development services:
alternative payment programs.
   The Child Care and Development Services Act, administered by the
State Department of Education, requires the Superintendent of Public
Instruction to administer child care and development programs that
offer a full range of services for eligible children from infancy to
13 years of age. The act authorizes funds appropriated for purposes
of the act to be used for alternative payment programs to allow for
maximum parental choice.
   This bill would require the department to  adopt
regulations to establish   consider developing
guidelines for alternative payment programs on specified matters,
including timeliness of payment to child care providers.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  It is the Legislature's intent to:
   (a) Eliminate late and inaccurate payments to child care
providers.
   (b) Eliminate ambiguities that have led to changing guidelines.
   (c) Eliminate insufficient communication about policies, and the
lack of a system that addresses child care provider payment problems
that has led to more experienced, quality providers choosing not to
accept subsidized children, thereby reducing parental choice and
availability of care for families relying on the subsidized child
care system.
   (d) Create a uniform and timely system of payments to child care
providers by providing clear and consistent directives for
alternative payment programs.
  SEC. 2.  Section 8222.2 is added to the Education Code, to read:
   8222.2.   The department shall adopt regulations to
establish   In developing regulations on provider
payments, the department shall consider developing  guidelines
for alternative payment programs on all of the following:
   (a) Timeliness of payments to child care providers.
   (b) Due process and complaint process.
   (c) Filling out attendance records.
   (d) Manner of issuing payments to child care providers, and
whether an alternative payment program may issue a single check for
multiple children.
   (e) Timeliness of notice to providers when a child is no longer
eligible to receive subsidies.
   (f) Administrative recourse and penalties for late payments to
child care providers.  If a penalty is assessed against an
alternative payment program, th   e program shall use only
administrative and support service funds received pursuant to Section
8223 to pay the penalty.