Establishes five-year Tri-Share Child Care Pilot Program; appropriates $15 million.

S4256

SENATE, No.
4256

STATE OF
NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 14, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� BENJIE E. WIMBERLY

District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes five-year
Tri-Share Child Care Pilot Program; appropriates $15 million.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
establishing Tri-Share Child Care Pilot Program and
supplementing Title 34 of the Revised Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� This act shall be known
and may be cited as the �Tri-Share Child Care Pilot Program Act.�

���� 2.��� As used in this act:

���� �Commissioner� means the
Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development.

���� �Child care provider� means a
child care provider operating a facility licensed pursuant to P.L.1983, c.492
(C.30:5B-1 et seq.) or a family day care provider registered pursuant to P.L.1987,
c.27 (C.30:5B-16 et seq.).

���� �Eligible employee� means an
individual employed by a participating employer, who is not otherwise receiving
subsidized child care in the State, and who may reside outside of the
designated region of a regional facilitator hub.�

���� �Program� means the Tri-Share
Child Care Pilot Program established pursuant to section 3 of this act.

���� �Regional facilitator hub�
means a local partnership selected by the commissioner pursuant to section 4 of
this act to administer the program on a regional basis.

���� 3.��� a.� The Commissioner of
Labor and Workforce Development, in consultation with the Commissioner of
Children and Families, shall establish a five-year Tri-Share Child Care Pilot
Program to create a public-private partnership to share the cost of child care
between an employer, eligible employee, and the State to:

���� (1)�� make high-quality child
care affordable and accessible for working families;

���� (2)�� help employers retain
and attract employees; and

���� (3)�� help stabilize child
care providers across the State.

���� b.��� The commissioner shall
establish an application form that an eligible employee may submit to the
commissioner for benefits provided under this act, which shall include:

���� (1)�� a joint attestation by
the employer and eligible employee that, if the commissioner approves the
application, the employer and eligible employee will each pay one-third of the
eligible child care costs charged by an eligible child care provider during a specified
period with respect to the child;

���� (2)�� the name and business
address of the employer;

���� (3)�� the name and residential
address of the parent or guardian;

���� (4)�� the name, age, and
residential address of the child;

���� (5)�� an attestation from the
parent employee that the parent employee is employed by the employer; and

���� (6)�� sufficient information
for the commissioner to verify that the parent is employed by the employer and
the family income of the family of the parent and child in each pay period.

���� c.���� (1)� The commissioner
may approve an application submitted pursuant to subsection b. of this
section.�

���� (2)�� In considering
applications, the commissioner shall verify the information described in
paragraph (6) of subsection b. and take into account the needs of eligible
employees and the availability of funds provided pursuant to section 6 of this
act.�

���� d.��� The commissioner shall
pay to an eligible child care provider selected by an eligible employee whose
application is approved pursuant to subsection c. of this section an amount
equal to the State�s share of eligible child care costs incurred during the period
specified in the application with respect to the eligible child identified in
the application.�

���� e.���� (1)� Monies
appropriated pursuant to this act shall be used to provide the State portion of
funding for the program.� The State contribution shall not exceed one-third of
the eligible child care costs for each approved participant, subject to the
availability of funds.

���� (2)�� Funds appropriated
pursuant to this act shall be divided evenly among the regional facilitator
hubs selected to participate in the program.� Any unexpended funds shall revert
to the General Fund.

���� f.���� The commissioner shall
give priority to applications submitted by eligible employees who are low- or
moderate-income, employed as essential workers, or employed in the public
sector, as determined by the commissioner.

���� g.��� Participation in the
program by an employer shall not result in the reduction, replacement, or
elimination of any existing employer-provided child care benefits.

���� h.��� The commissioner may
require the repayment or recapture of funds disbursed under the program in
cases of fraud, misrepresentation, or noncompliance with the provisions of this
act, in a manner determined by the commissioner.

���� i.���� The commissioner may
conduct outreach to employers and employees to promote awareness of, and
participation in, the program.

���� j.���� The commissioner may
adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure
Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) to effectuate the provisions of
this act.

���� 4.��� a.� The commissioner
shall select no less than three and no more than five geographically diverse
local partnerships to serve as regional facilitator hubs to implement and
administer the program and act as regional intermediaries between employers,
families, child care providers, and the State.�

���� b.��� The local partnerships
selected to serve as regional facilitator hubs shall assist in administering
and determining program eligibility.

���� c.���� The regional
facilitator hubs shall develop and implement other criteria for the program,
including, but not limited to:

���� (1)�� ensuring payment for the
cost of child care is divided equally between an employer, an eligible
employee, and the State, not to exceed the maximum amount of benefits provided
under the State child care assistance program;

���� (2)�� recruiting participating
employers and licensed child care providers;

���� (3)�� ensuring participating
employers agree to:

���� (a)�� identify and recruit
eligible employees;

���� (b)�� provide the employer
portion of each participating employee's child care costs; and

���� (c)�� maintain communication
with the regional facilitator hub regarding each eligible employee's continued
employment and eligibility;

���� (4)�� verifying that
participating child care providers meet State licensure requirements;

���� (5)�� making final
determinations regarding a referred employee's eligibility; and

���� (6)�� coordinating and
facilitating payments between employers, employees, and licensed child care
providers.

���� d.��� A regional facilitator
hub may use up to nine percent of its allocation for administrative costs.

���� e.���� The commissioner shall
ensure, to the extent practicable, that participation in the program reflects
geographic diversity across urban, suburban, and rural regions of the State and
includes employers from a diverse range of industry sectors.

���� 5.��� No later than one year
after the effective date of this act and annually thereafter for the duration
of the program, the commissioner shall submit a report to the Governor and the
Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), concerning
the effectiveness of the program, which shall include, at a minimum, each of
the following:

���� (1)�� the number of children
served, by age and county;

���� (2)�� total program costs,
including any administrative costs;

���� (3)�� the amount of funds
needed for program expansion, if recommended;

���� (4)�� the list of employers
participating in the program;

���� (5)�� employee retention rates
and workforce stability among participating employers;

���� (6)�� the impact of the
program on child care provider capacity and financial stability;

���� (7)�� any other relevant
information regarding the impact of the program; and

���� (8)�� a recommendation
regarding the continuation, expansion, or modification of the program;

���� 6.��� There is appropriated
from the General Fund to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development the
sum of $15,000,000 to effectuate the purposes of this act.

���� 7.��� This act shall take
effect on the first day of the sixth month following the enactment.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes the
five-year Tri-Share Child Care Pilot Program.

���� The bill requires the
Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, in consultation with the
Commissioner of Children and Families, to establish a five-year Tri-Share Child
Care Pilot Program to create a public-private partnership that shares the cost
of child care among participating employers, eligible employees, and the State.

���� Under the bill, the employer,
eligible employee, and the State will each contribute one-third of the cost of
eligible child care costs, subject to the availability of funds and a cap based
on the maximum subsidy provided under the State child care assistance program.

���� The bill directs the
commissioner to select no less than three and no more than five geographically
diverse local partnerships to serve as regional facilitator hubs to implement
and administer the program and act as regional intermediaries between
employers, families, child care providers, and the State.� The regional
facilitator hubs will assist in administering and determining program
eligibility and developing program criteria. �Funds appropriated under the bill
are to be divided evenly among the selected regional facilitator hubs.� A
regional facilitator hub may use up to nine percent of its allocation for
administrative costs.

���� The bill requires the
commissioner to submit annual reports for the duration of the five-year program
to the Governor and the Legislature concerning the effectiveness of the program
and a recommendation regarding the continuation, expansion, or modification of
the program

���� The bill appropriates $15
million from the General Fund to the Department of Labor and Workforce
Development to effectuate the purposes of the bill.