SECTION 6. DCF 201.04 (2h) is created to read:
DCF 201.04 (2h) Payment of registration fees. (a) The department shall pay the lower of a provider’s registration fee for a child or the department’s maximum registration fee amount.
(b) The department shall set a schedule for maximum registration fee amounts in Table DCF 201.04. Maximum fee amounts shall fully cover mandatory registration fees charged by at least 75 percent of providers who respond to the survey conducted under s. DCF 201.06 (2). (c) The department may adjust Table DCF 201.04 to reflect any of the following factors:
1. Provider fee amounts in the most recent survey under s. DCF 201.06 (2). 2. Increased alignment with provider fee practices indicated in the survey under s. DCF 201.06 (2), including variation in fee amounts based on region of the state, children’s ages, or provider regulation type. 3. A change in the funding available for the child care subsidy program.
4. A change in costs due to a change in the consumer price index.
5. A change in economic factors affecting the cost of child care to the state, such as an increase in demand for the child care subsidy program.
6. Insufficient funding to meet the needs of all eligible families applying for or receiving a child care subsidy.
7. The purposes of the child care subsidy program.
(d) The department shall publish adjustments to the maximum registration fee schedule in the Wisconsin administrative register.
(e) The department shall pay no more than 2 registration fees per child in any 12-month period.
SECTION 7. Table DCF 201.04 is created to read:
TABLE DCF 201.04
Maximum Registration Fee Schedule
Effective [LRB inserts effective date of rule]
The department’s maximum registration fee amount is $125.
SECTION 8. DCF 201.04 (2r) (title) is created to read:
DCF 201.04 (2r) Payment procedures.
SECTION 9. DCF 201.06 (2) (a) and (b) are amended to read:
DCF 201.06 (2) (a) The department shall annually contact all licensed group child care centers, family child care centers, and day camps to obtain their child care prices and registration fee amounts.
(b) The department shall include only child care prices and registration fee amounts submitted in writing in the survey results.
SECTION 10. DCF 201.06 (4) (a) (intro.) is renumbered DCF 201.06 (4) (intro.) and amended to read:
DCF 201.06 (4) Rates for certified child care providers. (a) Percentage of licensed rates. The department shall set rates for certified child care providers under s. 49.155 (6) (b) and (c), Stats., as follows: SECTION 11. DCF 201.06 (4) (b) is repealed.
SECTION 12. DCF 201.08 (1) (a) is amended to read:
DCF 201.08 (1) (a) The department shall set a schedule for parent copayment responsibilities for all parents who receive a child care subsidy, except as provided under sub. (2). Copayment amounts will be based on the size of the assistance group, and the assistance group’s gross income, the number of children in the assistance group in child care, and the number of hours authorized for a child care subsidy. The copayment schedule is provided in Table DCF 201.08.
SECTION 13. DCF 201.08 (2) (am) 5. and 6. are created to read:
6. The gross income of the assistance group is at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level.
SECTION 14. DCF 201.08 (2) (cm) is amended to read:
DCF 201.08 (2) (cm) A parent that leaves a who transitions from Wisconsin works position for under s. 49.147 (2) to (5), 49.1475, 49.148 (1m) (a), or 49.159, Stats., to unsubsidized employment shall be assessed the minimum copayment based on the number of children in the assistance group for whom the parent is receiving a child care subsidy until the parent’s next eligibility redetermination. SECTION 15. EFFECTIVE DATE. This rule takes effect on the first day of the month following publication in the Administrative Register, as provided in s. 227.22 (2) (intro.), Stats., except that SECTIONS 12 to 14 take effect on November 1, 2024.
