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Montana committee hears plan for $150 million child-care endowment to fund grants and workforce supports

House Health and Human Services · April 14, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Sen. Laura Smith told the House Health and Human Services Committee that SB 565 would create a $150 million endowment whose interest funds grants for child-care workforce development, technical assistance, recruitment/retention and affordability. Proponents representing providers, advocates and business groups urged passage; DPHHS clarified administration and fiscal-note errors.

Sen. Laura Smith, sponsor of Senate Bill 565, told the House Health and Human Services Committee that the bill would create a $150 million corpus endowment for early childhood and child-care supports, with only the interest spent on grants for workforce development, technical assistance, recruitment and retention, and programs to improve affordability.

Proponents described the measure as a long-term funding solution. "This bill creates a long term endowment that generates a sustainable revenue through interest earnings, not ongoing state dollars," said Kaitlyn Jensen, executive…

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