HB 4298: Child care; directing establishment of certain master teacher ratios; authorizing certain fee subject to specified conditions; effective date; emergency. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to shift its focus from general child care licensing standards to specific requirements for master teacher ratios and co-payment fees. The Senate version replaces the original advisory committee structure with new rules mandating specific square footage for infant rooms and allowing facilities to charge parents up to 10% of family income or the difference between subsidy rates and private tuition. It also requires the Department of Human Services to seek federal approval before implementing these financial changes.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from a broad set of licensing advisory committees to specific operational requirements for child care facilities, including physical space standards and financial co-payment rules.

REQUIREMENT

Replaced the detailed list of required advisory committee members with a mandate to establish master teacher ratios for different star-rated facilities.

Added a requirement that licensed child care facilities opened or expanded after November 1, 2016, must provide 40 square feet of floor area per infant in rooms occupied only by infants.

Authorized child care facilities to charge parents a co-payment of up to 10% of family income or the difference between the subsidy rate and the facility's private tuition rate.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a provision requiring the Department of Human Services to seek federal approval from the Administration for Children and Families before implementing the new co-payment rules.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date of the act from an unspecified time to July 1, 2026.

HB4298 (4-29-26) (ROSINO) FS FA2.PDF → Floor (House) · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was converted from a House substitute version to a Floor version, incorporating significant committee amendments that restructure the legislation's focus. The changes shift the bill from regulating master teacher ratios to establishing a new advisory committee system for child care oversight and permitting facilities to charge differential fees. This matters because it alters the bill's primary mechanism for improving child care quality from staffing ratios to stakeholder representation and fee structures.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from specific staffing requirements for directors and master teachers to a broader framework involving the creation of three distinct advisory committees (Residential Children's Services, Child Care Centers, and Child Care Homes) and new fee authorization.

REQUIREMENT

Replaced specific master teacher educational requirements and director ratios with a mandate to appoint advisory committees composed of diverse stakeholders representing residential services, licensed facilities, and families.

Added detailed composition requirements for three new advisory committees, specifying minimum representatives such as foster parents, medical providers, and advocates for Native American children.

Removed specific square footage requirements for infant rooms and probationary period rules for replacing master teachers.

ADDED

Authorized licensed child care facilities to charge differential fees above subsidy reimbursement rates, capped at 10% of household income, subject to federal approval.

SCOPE

Changed the statutory citation from Section 405.4 (master teachers) to Section 404 (Oklahoma Child Care Facilities Licensing Act) to align with the new advisory committee focus.

HB4298 (4-28-26) (ROSINO) FS WDFA1.PDF → HB4298 (4-29-26) (ROSINO) FS FA2.PDF · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill text was reorganized to move the 'Floor Substitute' title to the top and consolidated the page footers. The substantive policy content, including requirements for child care directors, master teacher ratios, and fee structures, remains unchanged. The only notable difference is a minor update to the document tracking number in the footer.

TECHNICAL

The document title was moved from the bottom of the first page to the top to better identify the bill version.

Page footer tracking numbers were updated from 'Req. No. 4005' to 'Req. No. 4008'.

HB4298 (4-28-26) (ROSINO) FS FA1.PDF → HB4298 (4-28-26) (ROSINO) FS WDFA1.PDF · 1 edit

MINOR

The version control timestamp for the legislative bill was updated from April 28, 2026, to April 29, 2026, indicating a revision or re-save of the document. No substantive policy changes, scope adjustments, or new requirements were identified in this specific text segment.

TECHNICAL

The document header timestamp was changed to reflect a later version of the file.

Senate Committee Substitute for House Bill → HB4298 (4-28-26) (ROSINO) FS FA1.PDF · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill was reclassified from a 'Committee Substitute' to a 'Floor Substitute', indicating it has moved from committee review to the full legislative floor for final passage. Substantively, the text of the bill itself remains unchanged, retaining provisions for master teacher ratios, co-payment limits, and facility square footage requirements.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; the modifications are purely procedural regarding the bill's stage in the legislative process.

TECHNICAL

The bill header was updated from 'Committee Substitute' to 'Floor Substitute', reflecting its progression in the legislative workflow.

Enrolled (final version) → Senate Committee Substitute for House Bill · 7 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to replace the term 'additional differential fee' with 'co-payment' and updated the fee calculation rules to be the lesser of 10% of family income or the difference between the subsidy rate and the facility's private tuition rate. The amendment also added a new provision allowing the Department to raise co-payment limits if federal regulations permit, while adding protections against penalties for facilities. The text was reorganized to include committee substitute formatting and page headers.

Scope change

The scope of the fee provision was narrowed and clarified by changing the terminology from a 'differential fee' to a 'co-payment' and explicitly defining the calculation method based on private tuition rates.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the fee description from 'additional differential fee' to 'co-payment' to align with standard industry terminology.

Replaced the flat 10% income cap with a dual-limit rule: the fee cannot exceed the lesser of 10% of family income or the difference between the subsidy rate and the facility's standard private tuition rate.

Added a new subsection requiring the Department to raise or remove co-payment limitations if federal regulations allow, ensuring the state can utilize maximum allowable fees.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a provision prohibiting the Department of Human Services from penalizing or taking adverse action against facilities regarding these co-payment changes.

TECHNICAL

Replaced the phrase 'family receiving subsidy assistance' with 'child's parent or legal guardian' to clarify who is charged the fee.

Removed the specific clause stating the Department is not responsible for payments above the subsidy rate, as this is implied by the new calculation method.

Inserted committee substitute headers, page numbers, and footer metadata indicating the document version and revision date.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 7 edits · May 12, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was converted from an 'Engrossed' draft to an 'Enrolled' final version, updating the sponsors and refining the summary to include new provisions on master teacher ratios and fee charging. The core policy content regarding advisory committees and facility standards remained largely unchanged, but the final text now explicitly authorizes licensed facilities to charge additional fees to subsidy families (up to 10% of household income) and establishes specific square footage requirements for infant rooms.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include new authority for facilities to charge differential fees and to set master teacher ratios, while the applicability of the new fee provision is limited to facilities participating in the child care subsidy program.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill title and sponsor list to reflect the final enrolled version, adding Stewart and Rosino as co-sponsors and changing the Senate sponsor from Reinhardt to Rosino and Reinhardt.

SUMMARY

The legislative summary was rewritten to include new sections regarding master teacher ratios, fee charging authority, and federal approval requirements, which were not detailed in the original engrossed version's summary.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new provision allowing licensed child care facilities participating in subsidy programs to charge families an additional differential fee, capped at 10% of the family's household income.

Added specific square footage requirements for infant rooms: 35 sq. ft. for facilities opened before Nov 1, 2016, and 40 sq. ft. for new construction or expansions after that date.

Added a requirement for the Department of Human Services to establish master teacher ratios for child care facilities.

DEFINITION

Added a definition stating that anyone with a bachelor's or postgraduate degree meets the educational requirements for a child care center director.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a requirement for the Department to seek federal approval from the Administration for Children and Families to implement the new fee-charging provisions.

Amended And Engrossed → Engrossed · 5 edits · May 5, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was reorganized to merge previously separate sections into a single comprehensive amendment for Section 404. The primary change is the addition of a new 'Quality Rating and Improvement System' subcommittee, expanding the oversight structure to include representatives from both child care centers and homes. Additionally, a new 'Child Care Facility Peer Review Board' was created to handle grievances, and the appointment process for committee members was clarified to ensure representation from diverse stakeholders, including rural areas and Native American organizations.

Scope change

The scope of the bill was expanded to include a new Quality Rating and Improvement System subcommittee and a new Peer Review Board for grievance resolution, while the scope of the original Residential Children's Services subcommittee was narrowed to focus specifically on that category.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new 'Quality Rating and Improvement System' subcommittee to the advisory committees, requiring representation from licensed child care centers and homes.

Expanded the composition requirements for the Residential Children's Services subcommittee to include specific representatives for adoption services, foster care, and medical services.

Added specific representation requirements for rural areas, urban/suburban areas, and organizations advocating for Native American children.

ENFORCEMENT

Created a new 'Child Care Facility Peer Review Board' to participate in the Department's grievance process.

TECHNICAL

Reorganized the bill structure by removing separate sections for new laws and consolidating all amendments into a single amended Section 404.

Introduced → Amended And Engrossed · 5 edits · May 5, 2026

MODERATE

The Senate amended the bill to completely replace the original text with a new version that shifts the focus from general child care licensing to specific regulations for 'master teachers' and infant room space requirements. Additionally, the amendment updates the legislative authors and changes the bill's effective date to July 1, 2026.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from general child care facility licensing standards to specific requirements for master teacher qualifications and infant-to-space ratios in child care centers.

REQUIREMENT

Replaced general advisory committee requirements with specific rules for master teacher ratios and educational qualifications for child care directors.

Added a new requirement that licensed facilities opened before November 1, 2016, must provide 35 square feet per infant in infant-only rooms.

Added a new requirement that new construction or existing space licensed after November 1, 2016, must provide 40 square feet per infant in infant-only rooms.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date of the act from an unspecified date to July 1, 2026.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill title to reflect the new content regarding master teachers and fees, and changed the primary authors of the bill.

Child care; directing establishment of certain master teacher ratios; authorizing certain fee subject to specified conditions; effective date; emergency.

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