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Committee hears bill to preserve $15M for childcare workforce if TANF approval denied
Summary
House Finance heard HB 15-66, a contingent appropriation that would provide $7.5 million per year (total $15M biennium) to DHHS for recruitment and retention grants for childcare providers if federal TANF approval does not allow direct workforce payments. DHHS described limited federal pathways and prior grant outcomes; stakeholders urged action. Division 3 will take up the bill in a work session Feb. 9.
Representative Mary Jane Wallner introduced HB 15-66 in the House Finance Committee, saying the bill would appropriate $7.5 million per fiscal year (a $15 million biennial total) to the Department of Health and Human Services to fund recruitment and retention grants for childcare employers if federal TANF approval for the use of those funds is denied.
Wallner told the committee that the 2025 budget included contingency language requiring DHHS to seek formal approval from the federal Administration for Children and Families to use TANF funds for workforce bonuses and, if necessary, to pursue a waiver. She said the department submitted the request and provided committee members with the federal response, but that many stakeholders still find the guidance…
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