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Bill

A 2218

Prohibits requiring parents or caretakers to earn a minimum wage or work a minimum number of hours to be eligible for child care assistance

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn and 7 co-sponsors

Prohibits using wage or hour thresholds to qualify for child care subsidies, ensuring families can access help regardless of employment status or earnings.

REPORTED REFERRED TO WAYS AND MEANS
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · A 2218

Summary of Bill A 2218

Overview

Bill A 2218 would prohibit the requirement that parents or caretakers must earn a minimum wage or work a minimum number of hours in order to be eligible for child care assistance. The measure aims to prevent labor- or earnings-based barriers from blocking access to child care subsidies.

Purpose and Intent

  • Ensure that eligibility for child care assistance is not conditioned on current employment status, earnings, or hours worked.
  • Remove potential barriers for families who need child care but do not meet work-hour or wage thresholds.
  • Align eligibility rules with a broader aim of enabling access to child care regardless of immediate employment circumstances.

Key Provisions (as indicated by the bill’s title)

  • Prohibits any eligibility rule that requires a minimum wage earned or a minimum number of hours worked as a condition for receiving child care assistance.
  • Applies to the determination of eligibility for child care subsidies (details on scope beyond the title are not provided in the summary).

Affected Parties

  • Primary beneficiaries: Parents and caretakers seeking child care assistance who might otherwise be screened out due to not meeting wage or hour thresholds.
  • Administrators and agencies administering child care assistance programs (state/agency-level implementation and rule interpretation would need to conform to the new requirement).
  • Child care providers could see changes in the nature of eligibility determinations and potential caseload dynamics.

Legislative History and Status

  • Introduced: January 15, 2025.
  • Legislative actions:
    • January 15, 2025: Referred to Children and Families.
    • May 20, 2025: Referred to Ways and Means (listed twice in actions).
  • Current status: REPORTED REFERRED TO WAYS AND MEANS (indicates the bill has moved from the Children and Families committee to the Ways and Means committee for fiscal review and broader consideration).

Sponsorship

  • Primary sponsor: Sarah Clark
  • Cosponsors: Jo Anne Simon, Alicia Hyndman, Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, Maritza Davila, John Zaccaro Jr., Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, Donna Lupardo

Related Bills

  • A 10288 (prior-session)
  • A 1303 (prior-session)
  • S 1994 (companion) — listed as companion bills

Potential Impact and Next Steps

  • Fiscal and administrative impact will be assessed by Ways and Means to determine budgetary implications and programmatic adjustments.
  • If enacted, state agencies would revise eligibility criteria for child care assistance to remove minimum wage/hour thresholds.
  • Stakeholders may include families eligible for assistance, welfare and social services administrators, and child care providers.

Note: This summary focuses on the information available. For details on exact language, effective dates, and full scope, refer to the bill text and fiscal analyses once released.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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