Ohio House Bill HB484

Ohio 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 9/29/25

Caption

To create the Workforce Investment Now (WIN) for Child Care pilot program to provide publicly funded child care to child care staff members and to make an appropriation.

Summary

HB484 would create the Workforce Investment Now (WIN) for Child Care pilot program within the Ohio Department of Children and Youth. The pilot would run, subject to available funds, during fiscal years 2026 and 2027 and is intended to provide publicly funded child care to eligible child care staff members. Under the bill, a county department of job and family services would disregard all family income when determining eligibility for publicly funded child care if the applicant shows that the child’s caretaker parent is a child care staff member working at least 20 hours per week, while still meeting the other eligibility requirements in existing law. The bill also includes a $20 million General Revenue Fund appropriation for fiscal year 2026 for Child Care Grants, with any unspent balance reappropriated for fiscal year 2027. The Department would be required to report on the pilot’s information and findings within six months after the pilot ends, and submit that report to the Governor and General Assembly. In effect, the bill creates a targeted subsidy for child care workers and directs state funds to support the program’s operation and evaluation.

Impact

HB484 would temporarily modify the administration of Ohio’s publicly funded child care eligibility rules by creating a pilot exception for child care staff members, requiring income to be excluded from the eligibility calculation for qualifying families. It would also appropriate state funds for the pilot and place responsibility for implementation, accounting, and reporting with the Department of Children and Youth and county job and family services offices. The bill affects the operation of section 5104.34 of the Revised Code for the duration of the pilot, but does not permanently amend the underlying statute in the introduced text.

Sentiment

Because the bill was only introduced and no committee votes or hearing transcripts were provided, there is no recorded legislative debate or vote history to indicate a formal consensus or opposition. The bill’s structure suggests a generally supportive policy approach toward child care workforce recruitment and retention by reducing child care costs for child care workers. The absence of recorded testimony or amendments means the public sentiment in the available record is limited to the bill’s stated purpose and sponsorship.

Contention

The main policy issue likely to draw attention is the use of $20 million in state General Revenue Fund money for a targeted pilot program, especially because the benefit is limited to a specific workforce group rather than all low-income families. Another possible point of contention is the eligibility design: the bill excludes administrators, authorized representatives, owners, and approved child day camp employees from the definition of child care staff member, which may raise questions about who should qualify. Any debate would likely center on whether the pilot is an efficient workforce investment, whether the income exclusion is too broad or too narrow, and whether the program should be temporary or expanded more permanently if successful.