| Last Action | 04/14/26: became law without Governor's Signature |
|---|---|
| Title | AN ACT relating to child care and declaring an emergency. |
| Bill Documents |
Current/Final
Introduced |
| Bill Request Number | 1265 |
| Sponsors | S. Heavrin, R. Duvall, R. Bivens, J. Branscum, S. Bratcher, G. Brown Jr., B. Chester-Burton, M. Clines, S. Dietz, D. Grossberg, V. Grossl, T. Hampton, K. Jackson, DJ Johnson, W. Lawrence, S. Lewis, S. McPherson, D. Meade , K. Moser, A. Neighbors, J. Nemes, D. Osborne, J. Payne, M. Pollock, W. Thomas, W. Williams, S. Witten |
| Summary of Original Version | Create a new section of KRS Chapter 199 related to the quality-based graduated early care and education rating system program to establish the intent of the General Assembly related to the program; establish processes and procedures for how the program is changed by administrative regulation; require a program modernization plan and final recommendations for modernization to be created and submitted to the Legislative Research Commission; amend KRS 199.891 to define terms; create new requirements for how the Cabinet for Health and Family Services establishes and operates the Certified Child Care Community Designation Program; delete language related to a previous 1 time requirement for the cabinet to submit recommendations and best practices to the Legislative Research Commission; establish a new January 1, 2028 submission deadline for the cabinet to make publicly available a standardized application for certification and instructions for the program; establish new requirements for applications by local governments to participate in the program; require an annual report by the Cabinet for Economic Development regarding the program; amend KRS 199.8983 to increase the membership of the Kentucky Child Care Advisory Council; establish that the council shall additionally advise the Cabinet for Health and Family Services on the operations, funding, and licensing of child-care microcenters; create new sections of KRS Chapter 199 to define terms; establish licensure for child-care microcenters; establish the Kentucky Child-Care Microcenter Program to regulate the standards and operations of child-care microcenters; establish early care and education training requirements for licensed child-care providers and certified family child-care home providers; establish that the Education and Labor Cabinet shall compile, produce, and make publicly available a monthly report providing a comprehensive snapshot of all licensed and certified child care services, Head Start services, child care services regulated by the United States Department of Defense, and state-funded public preschool services operating within the Commonwealth; establish a voluntary designation process through which any licensed or certified child-care provider may identify as a faith-based program; require the Office of State Budget Director to produce a comprehensive annual report outlining all state and federal spending on child care and early childhood education services and submit it annually to the Legislative Research Commission; establish that the Cabinet for Health and Family Services shall submit an approval request to the federal Administration for Children and Families to utilize a cost estimation model to inform payment rates beginning with the fiscal year 2028-2030 Child Care and Development Fund state plan; amend KRS 199.882 to change the definitions of "contribution" and "state match" and define "third-party administrator"; amend KRS 199.883 to establish that the Cabinet for Health and Family Services shall enter into a contract with a private third-party administrator to administer the Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership Program and establish duties and requirements of the third-party administrator; amend KRS 199.885 to establish the third-party administrator is responsible for issuing state fund matches out of the Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership fund; amend KRS 199.886 and 199.887 to specify how employers and employees interact directly with the third-party administrator instead of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. |
| Index Headings of Original Version |
Business Entities And Organizations - Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership Program, requirements Children And Minors - Certified Child Care Community Designation Program, requirements Children And Minors - Certified family child-care homes, requirements Children And Minors - Child-care microcenters, establish Children And Minors - Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership Program, requirements Children And Minors - Kentucky Child Care Advisory Council, membership, establish Children And Minors - Licensed child-care centers, requirements Children And Minors - Quality-based graduated early childhood rating system program, requirements Economic Development - Certified Child Care Community Designation Program, requirements Economic Development - Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership Program, requirements Local Government - Certified Child Care Community Designation Program, requirements Local Government - Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership Program, requirements Reports Mandated - Cabinet for Health and Family Services, quality-based graduated early childhood rating system Reports Mandated - Education and Labor Cabinet, child-care centers, reporting Reports Mandated - Office of State Budget Director, child-care centers, reporting Reports Mandated - Cabinet for Economic Development, certified child care community designation program, report State Agencies - Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Kentucky Child Care Advisory Council membership State Agencies - Cabinet for Health and Family Services, child-care microcenters, establish State Agencies - Cabinet for Health and Family Services, quality-based graduated early childhood rating system State Agencies - Child-care centers, Education and Labor Cabinet, reporting State Agencies - Child-care centers, Office of State Budget Director, reporting Witnesses - Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership Program, requirements |
| Jump to Proposed Amendments |
House Committee Substitute 1 House Committee Amendment 1 Senate Floor Amendment 1 Senate Floor Amendment 2 |
| Votes | Vote History |
| 02/02/26 |
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|---|---|
| 02/09/26 |
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| 02/12/26 |
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| 02/13/26 |
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| 02/17/26 |
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| 02/18/26 |
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| 03/06/26 |
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| 03/10/26 |
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| 03/11/26 |
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| 03/24/26 |
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| 03/26/26 |
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| 03/27/26 |
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| 03/31/26 |
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| 04/01/26 |
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| 04/14/26 |
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| Amendment | House Committee Substitute 1 |
|---|---|
| Summary | Retain original provisions; amend KRS 199.8982 to establish an exemption from the state certification requirements for a child-care provider on a military installation or military facility that is licensed or certified as a family child-care provider by the United States Department of Defense, any branch of the United States Armed Forces, the National Guard, or reserve component thereof; establish a pilot program related to specific family child-care homes that meet requirements set by the Armed Forces and the United States Department of Defense; EMERGENCY. |
| Index Headings |
Children And Minors - State child-care certification exemption, military property with licensure, establishment Effective Dates, Emergency - State child-care certification exemption, military property with licensure, establishment Military Affairs And Civil Defense - State child-care certification exemption, military property with licensure, establishment Occupations And Professions - State child-care certification exemption, military property with licensure, establishment |
| Amendment | House Committee Amendment 1 |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | S. Heavrin |
| Summary | Make title amendment. |
| Index Headings | Title Amendments - HB 6 |
| Amendment | Senate Floor Amendment 1 |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | D. Carroll |
| Summary | Create new sections of KRS Chapter 199 to define terms; create the Kentucky Kindergarten Readiness Performance-Based Child-Care Incentive Pilot Program; require the University of Kentucky to operate the pilot program; establish the purpose and directives of the pilot program; establish completion date and reporting requirements; establish that the Kentucky Kindergarten Readiness Performance-Based Child-Care Incentive Pilot Program will determine how to award incentive funds that could include direct payments or refundable tax credits. |
| Index Headings |
Children And Minors - Kentucky Kindergarten Readiness Performance-Based Child Care Incentive Pilot Program, establishment Occupations And Professions - Kentucky Kindergarten Readiness Performance-Based Child Care Incentive Pilot Program, establish Reports Mandated - University of Kentucky, Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program, report Universities And Colleges - UK Kindergarten Readiness Performance-Based Child Care Incentive Pilot Program, establish |
| Amendment | Senate Floor Amendment 2 |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | D. Carroll |
| Summary | Amend KRS 199.896 to establish standards and factors for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to consider in determining whether to issue a plan of correction, directed plan of correction, or suspension or revocation of a child-care license in response to any alleged violation of an administrative regulation by a child-care center; require that a single violation of a directed plan of correction does not result in a suspension or revocation of a child-care center's license unless the violation is solely determined to be serious enough to justify the action; permit documentation to be submitted to the cabinet up to 5 business days following a request; require weekly support contacts for a child-care center with a preliminary license; prohibit the cabinet from issuing violations during the probationary period; permit, but not require the inspector general, the inspector general's designee, or other cabinet representative, to take actions relating to a child-care center license; make technical corrections; apply provisions of the Act to pending and not yet final actions related to licensed child-care centers, and to all actions that occur on or after the effective date; EMERGENCY. |
| Index Headings |
Children And Minors - Child-care center licensee standards, establishment Effective Dates, Emergency - Child-care center licensee standards, establishment Licensing - Child-care center licensee standards, establishment Occupations And Professions - Child-care center licensee standards, establishment State Agencies - Cabinet for Health and Family Services, child-care center licensee standards, establishment Technical Corrections - HB 6/GA |
Last updated: 4/16/2026 2:23 AM (EDT)