Bill > A6065

Introduced Session

This bill increases the Work First New Jersey Child Care appropriation by $28 million, from $565.8 million to $593.8 million, in the FY2026 annual appropriations act. This line item supports the State's child care subsidy program, which assists lower-income families by paying a portion of their child care expenses. During the FY2026 Budget proceedings, the Commissioner of Human Services stated that the Governor's Budget Recommendation underfunded the child care subsidy program by approximately $25 to $30 million and, as a result, the Department of Human Services would need to pause enrollment and increase family copayments under this program at an unknown point in FY2026. Accordingly, on August 1, 2025 the child care subsidy program ceased accepting new applications for its largest eligibility group, the child care assistance program, and increased family copayments for this eligibility group from one to five percent of a family's income to two to six percent of a family's income. This bill appropriates an additional $28 million for the State's child care subsidy program, the balance of the funding shortfall projected by the Commissioner of Human Services after a $2.0 million increase was incorporated in the FY2026 annual appropriations act by the Legislature, to ensure the full operation of this critical program. The bill also removes budget language newly added in the FY2026 annual appropriations act that clarifies that the department may suspend the acceptance of applications for child care subsidies in the event of insufficient funding. Under the bill, budget language is added that requires the Commissioner of Human Services to resume the acceptance of applications for child care assistance and implement family copayments, at no more rigorous standards than those in place on June 30, 2025, thereby returning the program to its pre-August 1 policies.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Yvonne Lopez (D)*,  Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D)*,  Shanique Speight (D)*,  Joe Danielsen (D),  Aura Dunn (R),  Shama Haider (D),  Ellen Park (D),  Alexander Schnall (D), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee (on 11/17/2025)

Official Document