Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
Assemblywoman SHAMA A. HAIDER
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Requires Division of Family Development to maintain waiting list for persons applying for State’s child care assistance program.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the State’s child care assistance program and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Notwithstanding any law rule, or regulation to the contrary, the Division of Family Development in the Department of Human Services shall:
(1) maintain a waiting list of those income eligible persons who apply to receive assistance through the State’s child care assistance program and are notified that their applications will not be processed due to limited funding;
(2) implement procedures by which such persons may be placed on the waiting list; and
(3) establish methods for notifying qualified applicants when the division will process their applications for the State’s child care assistance program once funding becomes available, including, but not limited to, posting such information on its Internet website.
b. The division shall annually publish a report, to be made available on the Department of Human Service's website and submitted to the Governor and the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), containing non-identifying aggregate data about income-eligible persons qualified for, and applying to receive assistance through, the State’s child care assistance program. The report shall, at a minimum, include the number of:
(1) applications received for the State’s child care assistance program;
(2) eligible applicants approved to receive services through the program;
(3) qualified persons that apply for services through the program and are notified that their applications will not be processed due to limited funding; and
(4) applicants placed on the waiting list developed pursuant to subsection a. of this section.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Division of Family Development (the division) in the Department of Human Services (DHS) to: (1) maintain a waiting list of those income eligible persons who apply to receive assistance through the State’s child care assistance program and are notified that their applications will not be processed due to limited funding; (2) implement procedures by which such persons may be placed on the waiting list; and (3) establish methods for notifying qualified applicants when the division will process their applications for the State’s child care assistance program once funding becomes available, including, but not limited to, posting such information on its Internet website.
The division is also to publish an annual report, made available on the DHS website and submitted to the Governor and the Legislature, containing data about income-eligible persons qualified for, and applying to receive assistance through, the State’s child care assistance program, including, information on the number of: (1) applications received for the State’s child care assistance program; (2) eligible applicants approved to receive services through the program; (3) qualified persons that apply for services through the program and are notified that their applications will not be processed due to limited funding; and (4) applicants placed on the waiting list.