Migrant childcare and development programs.

Senator Limón’s measure ties access to migrant childcare and development services to a redefined notion of migrant agricultural worker family, lowering the income threshold to 40 percent of a family member’s earnings from eligible agricultural-related work in the prior year and codifying a set of enrollment priorities for children in these families. The change expands the definitional scope used to identify eligible families and preserves a defined sequence of priorities governing which children receive enrollment preference.

Mechanically, the measure defines a migrant agricultural worker family as one in which at least one individual earned at least 40 percent of their total gross income from fishing, agriculture, or related work during the 12 months before applying for services. Enrollment priorities are retained and clarified as follows: (1) families that move from place to place; (2) families that have qualified under mobility criteria within the past five years and remain dependent on agricultural employment but are settled near agricultural areas; (3) families residing in rural agricultural areas with seasonal work; and (4) adherence to federal regulations governing federally funded migrant programs. A new provision requires the department to ensure that income self-certification for enrollment in migrant programs is consistent with self-certification practices used in other child care and development programs.

From a fiscal and implementation perspective, the bill states there is no explicit new appropriation and requires a Fiscal Committee review. It tasks the administering department with updating definitions and enrollment policies, revising intake forms and related administrative procedures, and aligning income self-certification across programs, while maintaining coordination with applicable federal program requirements for federally funded components. Enforcement provisions are not specified, but compliance would be carried out through existing program governance and departmental guidance, with potential impacts on providers, families, and program administration.

In broader context, the proposal situates migrant program enrollment within a framework that emphasizes mobility and ongoing agricultural dependence, while harmonizing income verification across related programs. The combination of a lower threshold, clarified priorities, and cross-program consistency reflects an approach to aligning state definitions and administrative procedures with federal guidelines and parallel state programs, requiring regulatory updates, stakeholder communications, and interdepartmental coordination to implement.