New York Senate Bill S01994

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/14/25
• Refer: 1/14/25
• Refer: 1/7/26
• Report Pass: 2/10/26

Caption

Prohibits requiring parents or caretakers to earn a minimum wage to be eligible for child care assistance.

Summary

S01994 would amend New York’s Social Services Law to prohibit the state from imposing a minimum earnings requirement on parents or caretakers who are otherwise eligible for child care assistance under section 410-w. In practical terms, the bill removes a work-income threshold as a condition of receiving child care aid, so eligibility would no longer depend on earning at least a specified wage. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment and would apply to the administration of child care assistance programs statewide. By eliminating the minimum earnings requirement, it could expand access to subsidized child care for low-income families, parents with unstable or very low wages, and caretakers who meet other eligibility criteria but do not meet a minimum income floor.

Impact

The bill would amend section 410-w of the Social Services Law by adding a new subdivision that expressly bars minimum earnings requirements for otherwise eligible child care assistance applicants. This would constrain state and local administrators from using wage-based thresholds to deny assistance, while leaving other eligibility rules in place. The main affected parties would be parents and caretakers seeking child care subsidies, as well as agencies that administer child care assistance programs.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests strong support for the bill in committee, with unanimous Senate Social Services Committee votes recorded on both January 22, 2025 and February 10, 2026. No committee transcript is available, but the 7-0 and 6-0 vote totals indicate broad agreement with the bill’s purpose of reducing barriers to child care assistance. The overall sentiment appears favorable and focused on expanding access to benefits for eligible families.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials, and the committee votes were unanimous. The likely policy issue, based on the bill text, is whether child care assistance should be tied to a minimum earnings standard; supporters appear to favor removing that barrier, while any opposition would likely center on program eligibility standards, administrative costs, or targeting assistance to working families. However, no recorded debate or dissent is included here.