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Panel keeps school-based childcare changes, removes multi-site licensing from deregulation bill
Summary
The committee amended and advanced House Bill 1253, removing the bill’s multi-site licensing provision while retaining other changes that allow schools to provide childcare to nonemployee children; the amended bill passed unanimously in committee.
The Appropriations Committee advanced an amended House Bill 1253 after the sponsor agreed to remove a provision that would have allowed a single license to cover multiple childcare sites. Representative Heiney, the bill’s sponsor, said the measure’s primary goals are to allow schools to offer childcare to nonemployee children and to streamline administrative burden where possible.
The committee adopted Amendment No. 2, which removes the multi-site licensing language. Supporters argued the change would preserve public health and safety by keeping individual licensure and inspection at each site. FSSA staff explained how a multi-site license could be administered while preserving site-level inspection and corrective actions, but the committee concluded the multi-site piece needed clearer statutory language and removed it for now.
Why it matters: Supporters said the bill reduces administrative burden and could increase childcare capacity, a frequently cited shortage across the state. Opponents raised concerns that a single license could, if poorly implemented, put multiple facilities at risk if enforcement actions targeted the license rather than an individual facility. FSSA interim legislative director Kayla Skinner described operational safeguards: each site would retain a unique identification number and receive site-level health and safety inspections and corrective action plans.
Actions and votes: - Amendment No. 2 (remove multi-site licensing): adopted by consent and the committee considered an amended bill. - Final committee vote on amended bill: roll-call recorded as 11 yes, 0 no; bill advances.
Implementation and next steps: Committee members asked authors and FSSA to work between now and the second reading to nail down precise statutory language and operational details so multi-site licensing — if reconsidered — clearly protects children and separates enforcement actions by site.
Ending note: Committee members broadly supported measures intended to ease licensing burdens and expand capacity but asked for follow-up statutory clarifications before any move to multi-site licensing.
