SB 1079

Under current law, the Wisconsin Shares program provides child care subsidies as a part of Wisconsin Works (W-2), which provides work experience and benefits for low-income custodial parents, and is administered by the Department of Children and Families. Under current law, in order to qualify for a Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy, a parent, including a foster parent, a subsidized guardian, or a kinship care provider, of a child under the age of 13 or, if the child is disabled, under the age of 19, must participate in one of several specified education or work activities, and must satisfy financial and other eligibility criteria.

Under current law, DCF calculates a minimum “copayment” for an individual eligible for Wisconsin Shares, which is an amount by which the individual’s child care subsidy is reduced that is based on family size, income level, and other factors. Under this bill, such a copayment may not exceed 7 percent of the individual’s family income and an individual is not liable for any copayment if the individual’s family income is below 150 percent of the poverty line.

The bill maintains a current law provision allowing DCF to increase the copayment amount that an individual must pay to reduce costs under the Wisconsin Shares program.

The bill increases funding allocated to the Wisconsin Shares program by $22,930,000 each fiscal year.