Summers opposed bill to roll back regulations for child care

Today (Jan. 30),  House Bill 1102  passed out of the House of Representatives with a 75-21 vote. The bill rolls back child care regulations by stripping requirements for Class 2 providers, including requirements for providers to have a high school diploma, training and work experience.

Rep. Vanessa Summers (D-Indianapolis) released the following statement on the bill passing out of the House:

“I am horrified that this bill has passed through the House. We have a responsibility to parents to protect their children. This bill instead shows that as a state, we are perfectly okay with inexperienced, unaccredited individuals potentially caring for our children.

“Lowering standards for state licensure is not an acceptable solution. Further, increasing the number of children an unregulated residential provider can care for – not including their own relatives – to seven is absurd. Not only are we allowing inexperienced individuals to watch over Hoosier children, but we are also pushing more children on this already overburdened system.

“Rolling back regulations is not the answer – making real investments in child care infrastructure is the answer. I am extremely disappointed in this body's willingness to put children in harm's way.”