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California 20252026

AB 1981

Subsidized childcare: reimbursement rates: reporting.

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Source: Open States / PluralUpdated 2026-09-12 13:12:55 UTC.

Official record

Measure details

Jurisdiction
California
Session
20252026
Chamber
lower
Classification
bill
Subjects
Subsidizedchildcare, reimbursementrates, reporting
Introduced / first action
2026-02-13 00:00:00

Source-supplied abstracts

Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services, in collaboration with the State Department of Education, to implement a reimbursement system plan that establishes reasonable standards and assigned reimbursement rates for subsidized childcare and development services, and to develop and conduct an alternative methodology for ratesetting, as specified. Existing law requires the Governor and the Legislature to, by no later than July 1, 2025, establish reimbursement rates based on the alternative methodology, as specified. Existing law requires the department to provide quarterly updates from October 1, 2024, to July 1, 2027, inclusive, on the implementation of the new reimbursement rates set under the alternative methodology. If the new reimbursement rates do not take effect on July 1, 2025, existing law also requires the department to provide the Legislature with a timeline for transitioning from the rates that are in effect on July 1, 2025, to the new established rates. This bill would instead, under those circumstances, require the department to provide the Chairperson of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee with the department's anticipated timeline for the above-described rate transition. The bill would also require the quarterly reports described above to continue until July 1, 2028. Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that the reimbursement rates established under the alternative methodology satisfy certain parameters, including, among others, that the rates vary based on geography, type of care setting, regulatory requirements applicable to each type of care setting, time categories, and child age. This bill would impose various requirements on the department, in consultation with the State Department of Education, when establishing new reimbursement rates using a single-rate structure informed by the alternative methodology, to the extent those requirements are consistent with the approved Child Care and Development Fund state plan. Among other things, the bill would require the department to vary rates based on geographic regions and specific age groupings and to include in the rates an enhanced rate for nonstandard hours of care and enhanced inclusion rates for children with special needs. The bill would authorize the department to implement these provisions by means of all-county letters, childcare bulletins, or similar written instructions. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 10227.6 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by AB 190 or SB 190 to be operative only if this bill and AB 190 or SB 190 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Sponsors

Source-supplied history

Actions

  1. Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 79. Noes 0.).

    amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable

  2. In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  3. Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0.).

    amendment-passage, passage, reading-1, reading-3

  4. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1, reading-2, reading-3

  5. Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

    amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, reading-3

  6. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1, reading-2, reading-3

  7. Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

    amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, reading-3

  8. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1, reading-2, reading-3

  9. From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 13).

    committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable

  10. In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

    referral-committee

  11. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 4. Noes 0.) (June 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee

  12. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on HUMAN S.

    amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee

  13. Referred to Com. on HUMAN S.

    referral-committee

  14. In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1, referral-committee

  15. Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 74. Noes 0. Page 4795.).

    amendment-passage, passage, reading-1, reading-3

  16. Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

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  17. From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (April 15).

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  18. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    referral-committee

  19. Read second time and amended.

    amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2

  20. From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (March 24).

    amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage, referral-committee

  21. Re-referred to Com. on HUM. S.

    referral-committee

  22. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HUM. S. Read second time and amended.

    amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee

  23. Referred to Com. on HUM. S.

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  24. From printer. May be heard in committee March 16.

  25. Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

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