SB 1011

This bill expands income eligibility for Wisconsin Shares and appropriates a sum sufficient in general purpose revenue each fiscal year to fund this expansion.

Under current law, Wisconsin Shares is a part of the Wisconsin Works (W-2) program, which the Department of Children and Families administers. The W-2 program provides work experience and benefits for low-income custodial parents who are at least 18 years old. Under current law, 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 who needs child care services to participate in various education or work activities, and who satisfies other eligibility criteria, may receive a child care subsidy for child care services under Wisconsin Shares.

Under current law, one of the general eligibility criteria for receiving a child care subsidy under Wisconsin Shares is that the individual has a family gross income at or below 200 percent of the poverty line. Under the bill, this income eligibility threshold is changed to at or below 85 percent of the state median income.

Under current law, if an individual is already receiving a Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy and the individual’s family income exceeds the maximum eligible income of 200 percent of the poverty line, the individual will continue to be eligible for the subsidy until or unless the individual’s family income exceeds 85 percent of the state median income. Until that time when the individual’s income exceeds 85 percent of the state median income, the individual’s copayment minimum for the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy will increase on a sliding scale based on the amount that the individual’s family income increases. The bill maintains this continued eligibility if an individual’s family income exceeds 85 percent of the state median income and extends the cap to 100 percent of the state median income, but the bill eliminates the sliding scale increase to the individual’s copayment minimum.

The bill appropriates $1,250,000 in general program revenue to implement the Wisconsin Shares eligibility changes in the bill.