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Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the summary and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §3736, sub-§3  is enacted to read:
 
3.  Reduction or termination of services.     A person whose child care services provided pursuant to this chapter are reduced or terminated must be afforded a reasonable opportunity, prior to the reduction or termination of services, for a fair hearing and final agency determination of child care program eligibility. This subsection does not apply when the child care services are being reduced or terminated due to a reduction in program funding.
Sec. 2. Department of Health and Human Services to amend rules. The Department of Health and Human Services shall amend its rules as set out in the Child Care Subsidy Policy Manual to provide for reasonable extensions of time, modifications of the application of the rules and language changes in letters of notification to parents to allow an applicant who is unable to comply with time requirements or other eligibility rules of the child care program for circumstances beyond the reasonable control of the applicant to qualify as eligible.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment, which is the majority report of the committee, replaces the bill. The bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to provide a reasonable extension of time or modification of the application of the rules governing eligibility for the program that provides child care services to certain persons who meet income eligibility requirements but are unable to comply with the time requirements. The amendment retains the provisions of the bill that afford a person a reasonable opportunity for a fair hearing and final agency determination of child care program eligibility. The amendment requires the Department of Health and Human Services to amend its rules to make these changes in rules instead of statute. The amended rule may also provide changes to the language in letters of notification to parents.