Assembly rejects motion to discharge childcare study bill for immediate floor consideration

A motion to discharge Assembly bill A2042 — a measure that would authorize the Office of Children and Family Services to study barriers to creating childcare providers and to issue recommendations to the governor and legislature — failed on the Assembly floor after a party-line procedural vote on April 3.

Sponsor Mister Maher moved the discharge so the bill could be brought to the full chamber for immediate consideration. Maher described the measure as a bipartisan “starting point” to address a statewide childcare shortage, citing a statistic he attributed to the Office of Children and Family Services that 64% of New York families live in areas classified as childcare deserts compared with a 50% national average. He said the bill would authorize…