Committee hears bill to restore courthouse childcare; $210,000 appropriation requested

The House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services held a public hearing Feb. 6 on House Bill 2842, which would appropriate $210,000 from the general fund to the Department of Administrative Services to distribute to the Marion County Lawyers Charitable Corporation to expand free childcare for people attending courthouses or other government business.

Supporters told the committee the Mid Valley Court and Community Care program provides short-term, episodic childcare so caregivers can attend court or other government appointments without taking children into courtrooms. "Before the creation of Mid Valley Court and Community Care, hundreds of children were brought into courtrooms each year because caregivers lacked other options," said Rebecca CUNY, vice president of Marion County Lawyers Charitable Corporation. She said courtroom exposure to sensitive matters can harm children and disrupt proceedings.

The program began as a pilot in 2017 in Marion and Polk counties, operating at the YMCA in Salem and at Family Building Blocks in Dallas. Rebecca CUNY said the program served more than 1,500 children during 2017–2019; she did not specify whether that total covers Marion…