Legislative Action at a Glance

This week’s legislative activity included state action to expand access to paid family leave and to improve child care programs.

• PFML: Alaska and Ohio proposed new statewide programs.

• Child Care: The Michigan Senate passed legislation to codify the state’s Tri-Share program and annually adjust child care subsidy reimbursement rates for inflation.

Our policy analysts track legislative activity each week, following where states are taking action on the evidence-based policies in our Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap.

• Alaska H.B. 193 would have created a statewide paid parental leave program of a maximum of 8 to 12 weeks, depending on annual fund solvency. Families would have been able to access the program beginning in January 2030. After passing the House, this bill died at the end of session.
• California S.B. 1024 would provide firefighters with 26 weeks of fully paid postpartum and recovery leave for a birth, stillbirth, or miscarriage that occurs after 20 weeks of gestation. This bill passed the Senate.
• Ohio H.B. 869 would create a statewide PFML program of up to 14 weeks per qualifying reason, up to 18 total weeks of leave per year. Families would be able to access the program beginning in January 2029. 

• Michigan S.B. 310 would codify the Michigan Tri-Share Child Care program and establish a fund to support it. This bill passed the Senate.
• Michigan S.B. 311 would require child care subsidy reimbursement rates to be annually adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index. This bill passed the Senate.
• New Hampshire H.B. 1433 would establish a nonrefundable tax credit for businesses that create or expand child care programs worth 50% of eligible expenses. This bill passed both chambers.
• Tennessee H.B. 2502 will establish a new tax on international remittances and transfer a portion of the revenue (18.5%) to the Promising Futures Fund to support the child care subsidy program, fund a cost-share program, and support the child care workforce. This bill was signed by the governor and enacted.

• Hawaii S.B. 3125, as initially passed by the House and the Senate, would have extended the increased state earned income tax credit (EITC) until tax year 2033 and would have expanded income eligibility and the allowable expense cap for the state child and dependent care tax credit (CDCTC). However, both of these provisions were removed by the conference committee and were not included in the final bill sent to the governor.
• Ohio H.B. 903 would make the nonrefundable state EITC partially refundable. The bill would decrease the value of the current nonrefundable state EITC from 30% to 20% of the federal credit and create an additional refundable state EITC equal to 10% of the federal credit.
• Rhode Island Gov. McKee recommended doubling his original state child tax credit (CTC) proposal from $325 to $650 per child, aligning his proposal with H.B. 8338 and S.B. 2823.

• Vermont H. 611 would extend the effective date for Medicaid coverage of doula services from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2027 among other Medicaid provisions. Senate amendments would also extend the effective date for establishing a state community-based perinatal doula certification program from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2027.

• California S.B. 1054 would respond to federal work requirements by requiring larger employers to adhere to new data reporting rules to streamline both SNAP and Medicaid eligibility and renewal processes. This bill passed the Senate.

• Ohio H.B. 939 would newly codify counties' responsibility to provide Part C Early Intervention services to all eligible children under the age of 3 in their county. It would also require county boards to pay the costs incurred in providing these services, with the state Department of Children and Youth reimbursing at least half of eligible county costs.