By State Sen. Mark Messmer (R-Jasper)
Having adequate child care for Hoosier families is important for bolstering our state's workforce.
This session, Senate Republicans introduced new policies to help improve access and affordability of child care in our state.
Senate Bill 2 would introduce new policies to help individuals become child care workers by cutting regulations that drive up the cost of operating child care facilities.
Senate Bill 2 would help expand the child care options for Hoosier families and make it more accessible and cost friendly, and I was happy to support it.
This bill would create a pilot program for at least three "micro facilities" that serve between three and 30 children to operate with reduced regulations under the supervision of the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA). These micro facilities would represent geographically diverse areas with a critical shortage of child care.
It would also allow more children of child care workers to automatically qualify for assistance from On My Way Pre-K and the Child Care and Development Fund, reducing the financial burden for workers and incentivizing prospective employees.
Finally, to improve Indiana's childcare data, Senate Bill 2 would require FSSA to establish a dashboard on their website that includes monthly updates on the number of childcare subsidies that are available.
The bill would require the Indiana Economic Development Corporation to annually report to the General Assembly the funds being dedicated to supporting child care under specified state and federal programs.
Senate Bill 2 passed the Senate with widespread bipartisan support on Jan 30. It now moves to the House of Representatives for further consideration.
Legislative calendars, agendas, vote tallies and proposed legislation can be found on iga.in.gov.
As always, feel free to contact my office directly with your questions and concerns by email at Senator.Messmer@iga.in.gov or by phone at 800-382-9467.
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State Sen. Mark Messmer (R-Jasper) represents Senate District 48, which
includes Crawford, Dubois, Gibson, Perry, Pike and Spencer counties.
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