Payment to licensed and license-exempt child care centers are based on authorized days if the total of days attended for all publicly-funded children at the center location are 80% of the authorized days for the month.
Payment to licensed home providers are based on authorized days if the total of days attended for all children in a family are 80% of the family's authorized days for the month.
Payment to license-exempt home providers are based only on attendance.
Iowa:
Payment is based on authorized days with payment allowed for a child not in attendance not to exceed 4 days per calendar month.
Minnesota:
Payment is based on authorized days except child care providers may not be reimbursed for more than 25 full-day absent days per child, excluding holidays, in a fiscal year, or for more than 10 consecutive full-day absent days, unless the child has a documented medical condition that causes more frequent absences.
Analysis used to determine effect on small businesses
The proposed rule will affect child care providers, but the rule has minimal effect beyond the requirements of the statute.
Small Businesses Impact
The proposed rule will affect small businesses as defined in s.
227.114 (1), Stats., but will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of businesses.
Fiscal Estimate
Assumptions used in arriving at fiscal estimate
State fiscal effect
Decrease costs.
Local government fiscal effect
None.
Long-range fiscal implications
None.
Agency Contact Person
Pirkko Moilanen
Division of Early Care and Education
Phone: (608) 261-4595
Notice of Hearing
Commerce
Financial Resources for Businesses and Communities, Chs.
DCF 100—
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to section
560.45 (3) of the Statutes, the Department of Commerce will hold a public hearing on emergency rules and proposed permanent rules in Chapter
Comm 121, relating to small business innovation research assistance grants, and affecting small businesses.
Hearing Information
The public hearing will be held as follows:
Date and Time:
|
Location:
|
June 11, 2010
Friday
at 10:00 a.m.
|
Thompson Commerce Center Third Floor, Room 3B
201 West Washington Avenue
Madison, Wisconsin
|
This hearing will be held in an accessible facility. If you have special needs or circumstances that may make communication or accessibility difficult at the hearing, please call Sam Rockweiler at (608) 266-0797 or at Contact Through Relay at least 10 days prior to the hearing date. Accommodations such as interpreters, English translators, or materials in audio tape format will, to the fullest extent possible, be made available upon a request from a person with a disability.
Submittal of Written Comments
Interested persons are invited to appear at the hearing and present comments on the emergency rules and proposed permanent rules. Persons making oral presentations are requested to submit their comments in writing, via e-mail. Persons submitting comments will not receive individual responses. The hearing record on this rulemaking will remain open until
June 16, 2010, to permit submittal of written comments from persons who are unable to attend the hearing or who wish to supplement testimony offered at the hearing. E-mail comments should be sent to
sam.rockweiler@wi.gov. If e-mail submittal is not possible, written comments may be submitted to Sam Rockweiler, Department of Commerce, Division of Environmental and Regulatory Services, P.O. Box 14427, Madison, WI 53708-0427.
Copies of Emergency Rules and Proposed Permanent Rules
The emergency rules and proposed permanent rules and an analysis of the rules are available on the Internet by entering “Comm 121" in the search engine at the following Web site:
https://health.wisconsin.gov/admrules/public/Homesam.rockweiler@wi.gov. Paper copies may be obtained without cost from Sam Rockweiler at the Department of Commerce, Division of Environmental and Regulatory Services, P.O. Box 14427, Madison, WI 53707, or at
sam.rockweiler@ wi.gov, or at telephone (608) 266-0797, or at Contact Through Relay. Copies will also be available at the public hearing.
Analysis Prepared by Department of Commerce
Statutes interpreted
Statutory authority
Explanation of agency authority
Section
227.11 (2) (a) of the Statutes authorizes the Department to promulgate rules interpreting the provisions of any Statute administered by the Department. Section
560.45 (3) of the Statutes requires the Department to promulgate rules for administering the small business innovation and research assistance grants established under subchapter III of chapter 560 of the Statutes.
Related statute or rule
The Department has various rules for administering several economic development programs, including criteria in chapter Comm 129 for grants or loans to fund professional services related to completing an application to be submitted to the federal government for obtaining early stage research and development funding.
Plain language analysis
These rules
set forth the criteria the Department or its designee will use to administer the small business innovation and research assistance grants established under subchapter III of chapter 560 of the Statutes, as enacted in
2009 Wisconsin Act 28. These grants will assist businesses in the phase of development that precedes the eligibility of the businesses in the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, or businesses which are participating in the Phase III, commercialization portion of that program.
Comparison with federal regulations
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Technology administers the federal SBIR program. Federal agencies with extramural research and development budgets over $100 million are required to administer SBIR programs using an annual set-aside of 2.5% for small companies to conduct innovative research or research and development that has potential for commercialization and public benefit. Through this competitive program, SBA ensures that the nation's small, high-tech, innovative businesses are a significant part of the federal government's research and development efforts. Eleven federal departments participate in the SBIR program. As of May 2007, over $12 billion had been awarded to various small businesses, and the current annual allocation, in combination with the parallel Small Business Technology Transfer program, is over $2 billion. The Department is not aware of any federal grants that provide funding for assistance with submitting applications or otherwise participating in the SBIR program.
Comparison with rules in adjacent states
None of the adjacent States were found to have rules that are likewise primarily directed at providing grants to assist businesses with (1) establishing eligibility for or preparing applications for federal SBIR funding or (2) commercializing products developed through SBIR funding. However, the following programs in Illinois and Michigan appear to address some of the activities that are expected to occur under these proposed rules, for achieving these objective.
Illinois:
The Illinois Innovation Challenge program seeks to increase the number of Illinois companies that apply for federal research grants. The program provides grant-writing assistance to eligible Illinois technology-based entrepreneurs, innovators and new venture startups to access federal SBIR funding opportunities.
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the University of Illinois have partnered to provide qualified Illinois small businesses and entrepreneurs with consultant services for SBIR proposals. The services are designed to match the needs of the small business or entrepreneur, and assist in identifying, preparing, advancing and reviewing Phase I SBIR proposals.
Michigan:
The Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC) has partnered with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to establish the Michigan Emerging Technologies Fund (ETF). The MI-SBTDC administers the ETF through a contractual agreement with the MEDC authorized by the Michigan Strategic Fund Board. Funding for the program is provided through the Michigan 21st Century Jobs Fund. Since 2008, $4.2 million has been allocated to the ETF. ETF funds are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The ETF was created to provide matching grants to support commercialization of SBIR projects. The ETF matches 25% of phase I SBIR awards up to $25,000, and 25% of phase II SBIR awards up to $125,000. The ETF Funds must be used to help bring Michigan SBIR projects to commercialization in at least one of the four technology sectors: (1) life sciences; (2) alternative energy; (3) advanced automotive, manufacturing and materials and (4) homeland security and defense. Companies must leverage third-party funding to be eligible for ETF Funds. Before submitting an SBIR proposal to the federal government, a company must first secure a commitment from the MI-SBTDC.
Minnesota and Iowa:
Neither Minnesota nor Iowa was found to have a state-level program addressing the SBIR assistance that is addressed in these rules.
Summary of factual data and analytical methodologies
The data and methodology for developing these rules were derived from and consisted of (1) applying the corresponding provisions in section
560.45 of the Statutes; (2) incorporating applicable best practices the Department has developed in administering similar programs for economic development and business development; and (3) reviewing Internet-based sources of related federal, state, and private-sector information.
Analysis and supporting documents used to determine effect on small business
The primary documentation was used to determine the effect of the rules on small business was section
560.45 of the Statutes. The proposed rules and this section of the Statutes apply their private-sector requirements only to entities that choose to pursue a corresponding grant. No economic impact report was prepared.
Small Business Impact
The rules are expected to result in only beneficial effects on small business because the rules only address grants that will assist businesses in the phase of development which precedes the eligibility of the businesses in the federal SBIR program, or businesses that are participating in Phase III of that program.
Initial regulatory flexibility analysis
Types of small businesses that will be affected by the rules.
Businesses choosing to pursue grants for assistance in the phase of development that precedes eligibility in the federal Small Business Innovation Research program, or for assistance with participating in the Phase III, commercialization portion of that program.
Reporting, bookkeeping and other procedures required for compliance with the rules.
An application form prescribed by the Department must be completed and submitted to the Department. Grants that are awarded may be issued in conjunction with contracts that require periodic reporting of the ensuing performance.
Types of professional skills necessary for compliance with the rules.
No new professional skills are necessary for compliance with the rules.
Rules have a significant economic impact on small businesses.
No
Small business regulatory coordinator
Any inquiries for the small business regulatory coordinator for the Department of Commerce can be directed to Sam Rockweiler, as listed above.
Environmental Impact
The Department has considered the environmental impact of the proposed rules. In accordance with chapter Comm 1, the proposed rules are a Type III action. A Type III action normally does not have the potential to cause significant environmental effects and normally does not involve unresolved conflicts in the use of available resources. The Department has reviewed these rules and finds no reason to believe that any unusual conditions exist. At this time, the Department has issued this notice to serve as a finding of no significant impact.
Fiscal Estimate
Assumptions used in arriving at fiscal estimate
Although the rules will newly result in review of documentation relating to applications for grants under this chapter, the time needed for these reviews is expected to be spent by current employees. Therefore, the proposed rules are not expected to have any significant fiscal effect on the Department.
The proposed rules are not expected to impose any significant costs on the private sector because the rules address submittal of documentation only by entities that choose to pursue obtaining grants under this chapter.
State fiscal effect
None.
Local government fiscal effect
None.
Long-range fiscal implications
