Minn. committee hears bill to revise child-care licensing rules; amendment adopted and bill laid over

Chair Torkelson opened consideration of House File 628, a bill seeking to revise child-care staffing and recordkeeping requirements, and the committee adopted a DE1 amendment before laying the bill over for possible inclusion in a later omnibus bill.

Maria Harms, owner and director of Snug as a Bug Child Care in Redwood Falls, testified in favor of changes that she said would reduce regulatory burdens on providers. "Child care is the backbone to a productive working economy," Harms said, and she described operating a center with capacity for 74 children while managing licensing requirements and staff shortages.

The bill’s principal change would alter staff-qualification rules so that directors must meet identified education and experience requirements and could train other staff, while some present teacher/assistant/teacher‑aide qualification categories would be removed so those roles could be filled after on‑the‑job training and required trainings. Committee members and staff clarified the bill also moves several existing rule provisions into statute and directs the…