---
title: HB 1147. Georgia Childcare for Economic Well-Being Act; enact
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1147
cite_as: HB 1147, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1147
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1147.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1147/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72703
date: 2026-02-04
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1147.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1147
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-02
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Phil Olaleye
- Lydia Glaize
- Rick Townsend
- David Wilkerson
- Karlton Howard
- Teddy Reese
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1147/2025
upstream_id: 2104332
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- child care assistance
- CAPS program
- early childhood education
- state funding
- family financial assistance
---
# HB 1147. Georgia Childcare for Economic Well-Being Act; enact
## Text
House Bill 1147
By: Representatives Olaleye of the 59th, Glaize of the 67th, Townsend of the 179th, Wilkerson
of the 38th, Howard of the 129th, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 1 of Chapter 1A of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to general provisions relative to early care and learning, so as to establish a grant
program to supplement the reimbursement rates paid by the Department of Early Care and
Learning to providers participating in the Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) program;
to provide requirements for such grants; to provide definitions; to provide for related matters;
to provide for a short title; to provide for contingent effectiveness upon appropriation of
funds; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Georgia Childcare for Economic
Well-Being Act."
SECTION 2.
Article 1 of Chapter 1A of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
general provisions relative to early care and learning, is amended by adding a new Code
section to read as follows:
"20-1A-19.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Childcare and Parent Services program' and 'CAPS program' means the Childcare
and Parent Services (CAPS) program administered by the department.
(2) 'Family fee' means the family fee paid by a family directly to a provider and that is
assessed by the department based on a family's annual income and family unit size which
is deducted from the reimbursement rate.
(3) 'Provider' means an early care and education program that provides child care to a
child participating in the CAPS program.
(4) 'Published rate' means the full rate a provider charges for providing child care based
on the age of the child and the type of care provided.
(5) 'Rate differential' means the difference between a provider's published rate and the
reimbursement rate for such provider.
(6) 'Reimbursement rate' means the maximum rate paid by the department to reimburse
a provider and that is based on the location where child care is provided, the type of child
care provider selected, the age of the child, and the type of care provided.
(b) Subject to appropriations, the department shall establish a grant program to supplement
the reimbursement rates paid to providers for children participating in the CAPS program.
The department shall award a grant to each child participating in the CAPS program in an
amount equal to the amount of the rate differential plus the family fee for each such child.
Such grants shall be paid to the provider that provides child care for such child in the same
manner as other payments made by the department to such provider as part of the CAPS
program.
(c) In the event that funds appropriated for the grant program provided for in this Code
section are not sufficient to award a grant to each child participating in the CAPS program,
the department shall prioritize grants to children from families with the highest financial
need, taking into consideration annual income, family unit size, and the family's share of
the cost of child care, including the family fee and rate differential."
SECTION 3.
This Act shall become effective only if funds are specifically appropriated for the purposes
of this Act in an appropriations Act making specific reference to this Act and shall become
effective when funds so appropriated become available for expenditure.
SECTION 4.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
House Bill 1147 would create a state grant program to help cover the gap between what child care providers charge and what Georgia's CAPS subsidy program actually pays them, but only if lawmakers set aside specific funding for it.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia's Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) program helps low-income families pay for child care, but the state's reimbursement rate to providers is often lower than what providers normally charge (their published rate), and families also pay a separate family fee based on income. This bill, called the Georgia Childcare for Economic Well-Being Act, would set up a new grant program at the Department of Early Care and Learning to close that gap.
For each child in the CAPS program, the department would pay the provider a grant equal to the rate differential (the difference between the provider's published rate and the reimbursement rate) plus the family's fee. If appropriated money isn't enough to cover every child, the department must prioritize families with the greatest financial need, based on income, family size, and their share of child care costs. The whole law only takes effect if the General Assembly specifically appropriates money for it in a future budget act.
### What it does
- Creates a new grant program at the Department of Early Care and Learning to supplement CAPS program reimbursement rates paid to child care providers.
- Directs the department to pay providers a grant equal to the rate differential (gap between published rate and reimbursement rate) plus the family fee for each CAPS-enrolled child.
- Requires the department to prioritize grants for the highest-need families if funding isn't enough to cover every child in the program.
- Defines key terms like 'reimbursement rate,' 'published rate,' 'rate differential,' and 'family fee' for use in administering the grants.
- Makes the entire Act contingent on the General Assembly appropriating specific funds for it in a future budget bill.
### Who it affects
Families receiving CAPS child care subsidies, the child care providers who serve them, and the Department of Early Care and Learning, which would administer the new grant program and set priorities if funding falls short of covering every eligible child.
### Why it matters
If funded, the bill would reduce the financial gap providers absorb when the state's reimbursement rate falls short of their normal rates, and could lower or offset what families pay through the family fee, potentially making licensed child care more accessible and financially sustainable for both providers and low-income families.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 names the law the 'Georgia Childcare for Economic Well-Being Act.'
- Section 2 adds new Code Section 20-1A-19, defining CAPS program terms including 'family fee,' 'published rate,' 'reimbursement rate,' and 'rate differential.'
- Subsection (b) requires the department to award each CAPS-enrolled child a grant equal to the rate differential plus the family fee, paid directly to the provider.
- Subsection (c) requires the department to prioritize grants for families with the highest financial need if appropriated funds are insufficient to cover all eligible children.
- Section 3 makes the Act effective only once the General Assembly specifically appropriates funds for it in a budget act referencing this Act.
- Section 4 repeals conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-02)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-02-04)
- Sponsors: Phil Olaleye, Lydia Glaize, Rick Townsend, David Wilkerson, Karlton Howard, Teddy Reese
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72703
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1147.md?full=1