House Advances Child Care Legislation with $43 Million Impact

March 28, 2024 - This week, the House passed House File 2658 to increase child care rates for the Child Care Assistance Program by $15.2 million. Last year, the legislature increased these rates by $10.8 million, and this bill continues the work of providing significant resources to Iowa’s child care centers and homes.

This bill also extends the child care workforce pilot program for an additional year to collect data on recruiting and retaining child care employees. This pilot program provides the children of child care workers with Child Care Assistance.

The House also sent House File 319 to the Senate this week. This bill removes unnecessary regulations for child care workers and allows for additional flexibility during nap time and 5-min breaks for staffing. Additionally, the House also recently passed House File 2655. This bill provides child care centers a residential rollback (instead of commercial) for property tax purposes, which is estimated to provide $17.7 million in reduced property taxes for child care facilities statewide. These bills now await action in the Senate.