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Assembly rejects motion to discharge childcare study bill for immediate floor consideration
Summary
A motion to discharge Assembly Bill A.2042—authorizing the Office of Children and Family Services to study barriers to creating child care providers—failed on a procedural vote after extended floor debate.
The New York State Assembly on April 3 voted down a motion to discharge Assembly Bill A.2042 from the Committee on Children and Families, preventing the bill from coming immediately to the floor for a full vote.
Assembly member Maher moved to discharge the bill, which he described as a bipartisan measure authorizing the commissioner of the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) to study barriers to the creation of child care providers and to report recommendations and legislative proposals to the governor and the Legislature. The clerk recorded the motion vote: Ayes, 47; Nos, 100. The presiding officer announced, "The motion fails."
Maher said the study would examine obstacles including interactions among state agencies and insurance and financing issues, and cited data showing child care losses in parts of the Hudson Valley. He said the bill would allow OCFS to audit other state agencies and submit recommendations to improve access and affordability.
Assembly Speaker People Stokes urged members to reject the discharge on procedural grounds and said the proper route for legislation is committee review. "It's the proper way to get a bill to the floor is to have it go through committee," she said on the floor.
Other members who spoke in favor of the motion described the state as having "childcare deserts," noted rising wait lists for care, and urged expedited consideration of the measure as a step toward addressing affordability and provider availability. Members who opposed the discharge emphasized deference to committee processes and urged sponsors to work through committee channels.
Because the motion to discharge failed, A.2042 will remain in the Committee on Children and Families under current rules unless sponsors pursue another procedural path or secure committee consideration. The bill as described on the floor would direct OCFS to conduct a study and to report findings to both majority and minority legislative leadership.
On procedural notes, the presiding officer reminded members repeatedly that the vote before the house was on procedure and not on the merits of the bill.
