Participation of minor parents in Wisconsin Shares and granting rule-making authority

What it would have done

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

The Wisconsin Works (W-2) program under current law, which is administered by the Department of Children and Families, provides work experience and benefits for low-income custodial parents who are at least 18 years old. Also, an individual who is the parent of a child under the age of 13 or, if the child is disabled, under the age of 19, may receive a child care subsidy under W-2 if the individual needs child care services to participate in various specified educational or work activities, such as working in a W-2 employment position or attending school to obtain a high school diploma, and satisfies other eligibility criteria, such as an income limitation. The child care subsidy program under W-2 is known as Wisconsin Shares.

This bill specifically addresses participation of minor parents in Wisconsin Shares. The bill prohibits a W-2 agency, or other entity determining eligibility, from conditioning the eligibility of a minor parent on whether an adult relative of the minor parent is unable or unavailable to provide child care for the minor parent's child while the minor parent is participating in one of the specified educational or work activities. The bill provides that the application of a minor parent for Wisconsin Shares must be signed by the minor parent's parent or, if the minor parent demonstrates that no parent is willing or available to sign, by an adult relative, caseworker, or school official or health care professional from the minor parent's school who can attest to the minor parent's need for child care in order to participate in one of the specified educational or work activities. Generally, under current law, to be eligible for Wisconsin Shares an applicant's gross family income may not exceed 185 percent of the poverty line and a participant's gross family income may not exceed 200 percent of the poverty line. The bill provides that, to the extent permitted under federal law, if a minor parent is living with his or her parent and the minor parent's gross family income includes his or her parent's income, to be eligible for Wisconsin Shares the minor parent's gross family income calculated without his or her parent's income may not exceed the amount specified in current law and the gross family income calculated with his or her parent's income may not exceed the lesser of 225 percent of the poverty line or 85 percent of the state median income for a family the size of the minor parent's family. The bill also provides that a minor parent is not eligible for Wisconsin Shares if he or she is attending school and child care is available there at no cost.

Who's behind it

2 senators are its authors⁠. All 2 are Democrats.

2 more lawmakers signed on in support⁠.

What it would cost

State agencies filed a cost estimate. Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

• Fiscal Estimate From DCF