An Act to Create the Building Opportunity Through Out-of-school Time Program
LD 1389 creates the Building Opportunity Through Out-of-school Time Program within the Department of Health and Human Services as a competitive grant program to expand before-school, after-school, and summer programming for school-age youth. The bill defines eligible providers broadly to include community-based nonprofit organizations, libraries, and statewide youth-serving nonprofit organizations, and it defines out-of-school programming to include structured activities with adult engagement and evidence-based or evidence-informed outcomes aimed at academic, social-emotional, vocational, and behavioral supports.
The program is designed to increase existing services, reduce barriers to participation, and create new programming, with a special focus on youth who are at risk of educational failure and other underserved groups. The bill establishes a nonlapsing fund for public and private contributions, directs the department to adopt rules, publish grant criteria and awards, and use federal funding opportunities where possible. It also requires annual reporting to the Legislature on grant administration, recipients, service levels, and funding use, and it sets a base allocation of $500 per year from Other Special Revenue Funds to establish the fund and allow expenditures.
The bill adds a new chapter to Title 22 governing a state grant program for out-of-school time services and creates a dedicated fund to support it. It authorizes DHHS to award grants, enter into agreements with third-party entities, set eligibility and award rules, and monitor grantees, while also requiring grantees to maintain separate accounting, cap administrative costs at 10%, and comply with nondiscrimination requirements. The measure also affects how providers may coordinate with existing funding streams by requiring grant agreements to preserve eligibility for funds under chapter 1053-B, and it establishes legislative oversight through annual reporting and the possibility of follow-up legislation.
Based on the bill text, the overall policy direction is supportive of youth development, educational enrichment, and access to structured programming outside the school day. The absence of recorded committee testimony or votes means there is no documented public debate in the provided materials, but the bill’s structure suggests a broadly positive framing around expanding services for children and families. The inclusion of a base allocation and a grant-based model indicates an implementation-oriented approach rather than a controversial regulatory one.
The bill’s main potential points of contention are likely to be funding, administrative burden, and grant distribution priorities. Because the program depends on appropriations or other available funds beyond the minimal base allocation, lawmakers or stakeholders could question whether the state is committing enough money to make the program meaningful. Another possible issue is the preference for providers with prior government funding, established compliance history, and the ability to serve specific populations, which may be seen as favoring larger or more established organizations over smaller community groups. The 10% administrative cap and reporting requirements may also be viewed as either necessary accountability measures or as constraints that could limit flexibility for grantees.