An Act To Provide Stable Funding and Support for Child Care Providers
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1012
Committee Amendment CA_A_S211 (Senate)
Amends: 22 MRSA §3737

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "ft" to S.P. 291, L.D. 1012, Bill, "An Act To 
Provide Stable Funding and Support for Child Care Providers" 
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 2 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §3737, sub-§3, as corrected by RR 2015, c. 1, §21, is amended 
to read: 
3. Quality differential. To the extent permitted by federal law, the department shall 
pay a differential rate for child care services that meet or that make substantial progress 
toward meeting nationally recognized quality standards, such as those standards required 
by the Head Start program or required for accreditation by the National Association for 
the Education of Young Children, and shall do so from the Child Care Development Fund 
25% Quality Set-aside funds or by other acceptable federal practices. Rules adopted 
pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined by Title 5, chapter 375, 
subchapter 2-A. The rules must establish a 4-step child care quality rating system and 
must provide for graduated quality differential rates for step 2, step 3 and step 4 child 
care services. 
Nothing in this subsection requires the department to pay a quality differential rate for 
child care services provided through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block 
grant. Nothing in this subsection prohibits the department from using state funds to pay a 
quality differential rate for child care services. 
Sec. 3. 22 MRSA §3737, sub-§3-A is enacted to read: 
3-A. Graduated quality differential rates. The graduated quality differential rates 
that the department is required to pay for child care services under subsection 3 include: 
A. Five percent for step 2 child care services other than for infants or 25% for step 2 
child care services for infants; 
B. Ten percent for step 3 child care services other than for infants or 30% for step 3 
child care services for infants; and 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT"/-'; 
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"to S.P. 291, L.D. 1012 1. 
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C. Fifteen percent for step 4 child care services other than for infants or 35% for step 
child care services for infants.' 
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 4 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 4. 22 MRSA §3737, sub-§§5 and 6 are enacted to read: 
5. Use of contracts to improve supply of care for infants, toddlers and preschool 
children. The department may use up to 25% of funding received each year from the 
child care and development block grant authorized under the federal Child Care and 
Development Block Grant Act of 1990 for providing child care services for contracts 
with providers of child care services at step 3 and step 4 under subsection 3 to increase 
the availability of care for infants, toddlers and preschool children up to 4 years of age. 
The contracts must prioritize continuity of care and stable settings for infants, toddlers 
and preschool children up to 4 years of age but may support children in another age 
group. To qualify for a contract, a provider of child care services under this subsection 
must have appropriate training in child development, child trauma, adverse childhood 
experience, child protective services and working with children with disabilities. The 
department shall ensure that any contracts issued are granted to providers of child care 
services under this subsection that prioritize the following at-risk populations: 
A. Infants, toddlers and preschool children up to 4 years of age receiving or who 
have received child protective services; 
B. Infants with disabilities or those referred by the Child Development Services 
System as defined in Title 20-A, section 7001, subsection 1-A; 
C. Infants whose parents are participating in a substance use disorder treatment 
program; 
D. Infants whose parents are or have been homeless in the preceding 6 months; and 
E. Infants in geographic areas of the State where parents have few opportunities to 
secure high-quality infant care. 
The department shall submit an annual report to the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters no later than 
January 1st of each year, beginning in 2021, describing the use of contracts pursuant to 
this subsection. The report must include the number of contracts, the percentage of block 
grant funding used for the contracts and the number, grouped by paragraphs A to E, of at-
risk children. 
6. Shared services. The department may create a program to support providers of 
child care services in sharing administrative and program services and costs to make the 
providers more efficient and fmancially sustainable and to improve the providers' ability 
to deliver high-quality child care services. 
Sec. 5. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
HEAL TH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF 
Child Care Services 0563 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" f-1," to S.P. 291, L.D. 1012 ( ~::,. d \ ~) 
·· 1 
Initiative: Provides funding to establish graduated quality differential rates for steps 2 to 4 
in the 4-step child care quality rating system. 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
2019-20 
$511,252 
$511,252 
2020-21 
$511,252 
$511,252 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment, which is the majority report, lowers the increases to graduated 
quality differential rates for child care services for children other than infants from the 
bill. It also clarifies that the Department of Health and Human Services may use state 
funds to pay a quality differential rate for high-quality child care services if it chooses to 
do so. It allows the Department of Health and Human Services to use up to 25% of the 
State's federal child care and development block grant funding for contracts for high-
quality child care to underserved children and areas of the State rather than requiring use 
of funding for contracts. The department is required to submit an annual report to the 
joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human 
services matters on the number of contracts, the percentage of block grant funding used 
for the contracts and the number of children served. It allows, rather than requires as in 
the bill, the department to develop a shared services program. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 05/24/19 feac.. 
LD 1012 
LR217(02) 
An Act To Provide Stable Funding and Support for Child Care Providers 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment "ti ( \ · .:~ 1. 1 ~ 
Committee: Health and Human Services 
I 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/Allocations 
General Fund 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY 2019-20 
FY 2020-21 
$511,252 
$511,252 
$511,252 
$511,252 
Projections 
FY 2021-22 
$511,252 
$511,252 
Projections 
FY2022-23 
$511,252 
$511,252 
The bill includes ongoing General Fund appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services of $511,252 
beginning in fiscal year 2019-20 to establish graduated quality differential rates for steps 2 to 4 in the 4-step child care 
quality rating system. 
LR0217(02) - Fiscal Note - Page I of 1