Idaho Bills

Amends and adds to existing law to establish the Idaho Child Care Program.

RS33644 / S1374 This legislation reforms and modernizes Idaho’s child care assistance program by strengthening safeguards against fraud, waste, and abuse while improving the ability of legitimate child care providers to serve Idaho families. The bill establishes the Idaho Child Care Program, which maintains support for low-income working families while implementing strong program integrity measures to ensure taxpayer dollars are used appropriately. The legislation creates clear eligibility standards, verification requirements, and documentation obligations for providers and families receiving assistance. It also authorizes the Department of Health and Welfare to suspend payments when fraud is suspected, recover improper payments, and impose meaningful penalties for intentional program violations. To further strengthen oversight, the bill requires the implementation of a fraud detection and remediation system that uses modern analytical tools to identify suspicious billing, attendance irregularities, and other patterns associated with fraud or abuse. These tools allow the department to detect and prevent improper payments while ensuring legitimate providers are able to continue serving families without unnecessary disruption. While strengthening accountability, the legislation also supports child care providers and working families by improving administrative systems, modernizing program technology, and expanding capacity for new providers. The bill authorizes the creation of up to 600 new licensed child care programs through recruitment and support initiatives designed to increase availability of child care services across the state. Together, these reforms protect taxpayer dollars, preserve public confidence in the program, and make it easier for responsible child care providers to operate and expand services for Idaho families.