Jacob Ogles
An effort to incentivize more at-work child care and ease bureaucracy is advancing with bipartisan support in the House.
Rep. Fiona McFarland said the need for better access to care has come into stark view as the mother of four’s own family has grown.
“I filed this bill for myself,” the Sarasota Republican acknowledged, “but I realize in doing so, I’m doing it for every other parent in the state of Florida that like me said, ‘What do I do for this amazing baby now that I have to go to work?’”
The House Health Care Budget Subcommittee voted unanimously in support of a bill (HB 47) that would modify child care licensing standards for background screenings and training, abbreviate the inspection process, and exempt certain businesses and organizations from licensing requirements to operate a facility attended only by the children of employees.
The reduction in bureaucracy and oversight did raise some alarms with lawmakers on the committee. Rep. Mitch Rosenwald, an Oakland Park Democrat, said he initially intended to vote against the bill based on concerns as a former child protective services investigator.
“The systems don’t always work,” he said, noting the potential that some bad actors will exploit any deregulation of child care standards.
He still supported the bill because he felt lawmakers were acting in “good faith” to ease burdens for parents.
Some lawmakers on the committee expect many business owners will embrace the chance to offer child care services in a direct way. Rep. Kevin Steele, a Dade City Republican, said as a business owner himself, he always wanted to offer day care benefits but the restrictions and overhead proved prohibitive.
“The business owner is not going to put those kids in harm’s way,” Steele said. “They’re going to want to provide a better service than the one down the street, because they’re not going to have the red tape.”
Rep. Allison Tant, a Tallahassee Democrat, said she worked for a law firm in town for a period that offered incidental care for children in the office.
“It was a hallmark for our law firm, because we were noted as one of the best places to work for working parents as a result,” she said.
Ultimately, McFarland said she hopes parents feel the rewards of the policy shift, should the bill pass.
“On the Sarasota Moms Facebook page, my least favorite thing to see is a mom that said, ‘What is going on? I can’t afford to work,’” she said. “What that means is I can’t find a job that pays me enough to cover the cost of child care, much less exceed it and make a profit.”
A Senate companion bill (SB 738) sponsored by Sen. Colleen Burton, a Lakeland Republican, has advanced through the Senate Children, Family, and Elders Affairs Committee and awaits consideration by the Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee.
McFarland’s bill has one more committee stop in the House Health & Human Services Committee.
