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House approves study to assess use of state-owned buildings for childcare centers
Summary
Lawmakers passed House Bill 13-44 directing the Department of General Services to assess whether state-owned facilities could house childcare centers. Debate centered on scope, whether co-location with adult offices would be considered, and security considerations stemming from historical precedents.
The House passed House Bill 13-44, a study directing the Department of General Services to assess state-owned facilities for potential use as childcare centers. There being 122 votes in the affirmative, House Bill 13-44 was declared passed.
Floor discussion clarified the bill is a study, limited to properties under the Department of General Services' care; it does not include MDOT or higher-education buildings. The bill sponsor and the floor leader characterized the effort as an assessment of physical capacity and availability to address a statewide shortage of childcare slots.
Several delegates raised concerns about whether state facilities could or should co-locate childcare with adult office space. One delegate reminded the House of the federal prohibition on colocated daycares that followed the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and urged that security be a component of the assessment. The floor leader and sponsor said security and capacity considerations would be part of the study and that the amended bill reduced fiscal impact such that no fiscal note remained.
The sponsor noted the study would produce a report in December and that the Department of General Services would not be required to convert buildings; the study is intended to identify capability and capacity. Delegates representing counties with childcare shortages expressed support but emphasized standalone facilities and safety considerations.
The House recorded the final tally as 122 affirmative votes. The transcript excerpt contains floor-level clarifications but does not record subsequent administrative steps.
