New York A 5899: Establishes the universal child care act; repealer; appropriation

Bill Text

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A05899 Summary:

BILL NOA05899 

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SAME ASSAME AS S03415-A

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SPONSORHevesi

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COSPNSRDinowitz, Kelles, Gallagher, Clark, Simon, Carroll P, Kim, Weprin, Gonzalez-Rojas, Cunningham,
 Simone, Raga, Shrestha, Conrad, Reyes, Epstein, Davila, Forrest, Wright, De Los Santos, Steck,
 Anderson, Shimsky, Carroll R, Burdick, Mitaynes, Valdez, Seawright, Lee, Chandler-Waterman,
 Bichotte Hermelyn, Torres, Taylor, Rosenthal, Meeks, Tapia, Moreno, Cruz, Septimo, Alvarez, Paulin,
 Williams

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MLTSPNSR

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Rpld §410 sub 3 ¶(b), amd Soc Serv L, generally; amd §101, add Art 25 §§1220 - 1228, Ed L; add §§97-bbbbb, St
Fin L

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Establishes the universal child care act to provide for the establishment and funding of universal child care in the state of New York; establishes a universal child care taskforce to help implement universal child care in the state and repeals certain provisions of the social services law relating thereto; establishes the permanent child care workforce pay equity fund; establishes a universal child care public option pilot program to provide universal child care in at least twenty locations throughout the state; makes an appropriation therefor.

Go to top A05899 Actions:

BILL NOA05899 

&nbsp

02/24/2025referred to children and families

01/07/2026referred to children and families

Go to topA05899 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA05899 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA05899 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 5899

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 February 24, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. HEVESI, DINOWITZ, KELLES, GALLAGHER, MAMDANI,
 CLARK, SIMON, P. CARROLL, KIM, WEPRIN, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, CUNNINGHAM,
 SIMONE, RAGA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Children
 and Families

 AN ACT to amend the social services law and the education law, in
 relation to establishing a universal child care taskforce; to amend
 the state finance law, in relation to establishing a permanent child
 care workforce pay equity fund; to amend the education law, in
 relation to establishing a universal child care public option pilot
 program; to repeal certain provisions of the social services law
 relating to the child care availability taskforce; and making an
 appropriation therefor

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
 2 the "universal child care act".
 3 § 2. Legislative findings. The legislature hereby finds and declares
 4 that New York State's child care sector is facing an economic crisis. In
 5 2018, the legislature created a Child Care Availability Task Force. In
 6 2021, that Task Force issued its initial report, finding that the
 7 current crisis "requires a dramatically different approach to child
 8 care: one that recognizes that high-quality child care is a public good
 9 and that provides the necessary public investment" to implement a system
 10 of high-quality universal child care.
 11 The Task Force was subsequently charged with the duty of advising the
 12 state "in developing an implementation framework leading to a phased-in
 13 rollout of universal child care", and issued another report in April
 14 2024 that recommended items such as a "permanent line of funding for the
 15 child care workforce" and the launch of "a state-run child care assist-
 16 ance pilot program". In January 2025 the Task Force released its "Road-
 17 map to Universal Child Care", which incorporates the recommendations in

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD06356-03-5

 A. 5899 2

 1 the first two reports, and lays out key markers on the road to universal
 2 child care, including the "short term" goal of immediately establishing
 3 a "permanent workforce compensation fund aimed at increasing wages for
 4 all members of the child care workforce and indexed to cost of living".
 5 This legislation will implement the recommendations of the Task Force
 6 and move New York towards such a dramatically new system, where child
 7 care workers are treated with dignity and com