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HB1208Introduced in the House of Delegates

Public education; early childhood care and education, child care access calculations, report.

Passed

Introduced by Briana Sewell, District 25

What does this bill do?

Plain-English breakdown

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Official description

Public education; early childhood care and education; child care access calculations; report. Requires the Department of Education to establish and maintain calculations for the provision of early childhood care and education services based on cost of quality rate per child, actual data from the prior year, an estimate of parental demand and choice preferences based on historic growth trends and current eligibility criteria, and an estimate of the number of slots to be added to support local or regional economic development efforts and public-private partnerships focused on increasing the supply of child care services, giving priority to localities or regions identified as child care deserts, as determined by the Department. The bill also contains several provisions relating to the use and appropriation of funds as applicable to such calculations, including (i) providing that the calculations shall not obligate the General Assembly to a specific appropriation, (ii) requiring the calculations to be used to provide information to guide the General Assembly in making decisions about the proportion of parental demand for and supply of early childhood care and education services to be addressed and level of appropriation required to address such demand, and (iii) providing that the annual overall funding available for slots shall be subject to appropriation as determined by the General Assembly. The bill also provides that if waitlists for slots at early childhood care and education sites remain, up to $5 million from prior-year unexpended state general funds appropriated for such purpose in a general appropriation act may be carried forward to the current fiscal year to temporarily provide additional slots during the current fiscal year solely to reduce or eliminate waitlists, unless the general appropriation act authorizes a greater amount to be carried forward and that such prior-year funds shall not be used to increase the base amount of funding required in the subsequent fiscal year and the Department shall monitor program utilization and attrition to ensure that no families will lose access at the end of the current fiscal year. Finally, the bill requires the Department to annually submit to the Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education and post on its website a report on the data used to calculate the minimum funding and number of slots for the calculations in accordance with the provisions of the bill. This bill is identical to SB 134.

Where it stands

Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0456)

April 8, 2026

How did lawmakers vote?

House of Delegates votes

5 recorded votes · each counted separately

Senate votes

6 recorded votes · each counted separately

SenateStage: Conference report agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N 0-A) · March 14, 2026

39

Yes

0

No

1

Absent or Not Voting

40 senators recorded in this Senate vote. Colors show vote categories only, not whether a vote was good or bad.

See how each senator voted

SenatorDistrictVote
Elizabeth Bennett-Parker5Yes
Michael Jones77Yes
Timmy French1Yes
Mark Obenshain2Yes
Chris Head3Yes
David Suetterlein4Yes
Travis Hackworth5Yes
Todd Pillion6Yes
William Stanley7Yes
Mark Peake8Yes

Bill history

  1. Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104909D

  2. Referred to Committee on Education

  3. Assigned HED sub: Early Childhood and Innovation

  4. Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1208)

  5. Subcommittee recommends reporting and referring to Appropriations (9-Y 1-N)

  6. Reported from Education with substitute (18-Y 3-N)

  7. House committee offered

  8. Committee substitute printed 26107408D-H1

  9. Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1208)

  10. Read first time

  11. Read second time

  12. committee substitute agreed to

  13. Engrossed by House - committee substitute

  14. Read third time and passed House (74-Y 22-N 0-A)

  15. Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)

  16. Referred to Committee on Education and Health

  17. Reported from Education and Health with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)

  18. Senate committee offered

  19. Committee substitute printed 26108243D-S1

  20. Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1208)

  21. Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)

  22. Rules suspended

  23. Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

  24. Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  25. Read third time

  26. Education and Health Substitute agreed to

  27. Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute

  28. Passed Senate with substitute Block Vote (37-Y 0-N 0-A)

  29. Senate substitute rejected by House

  30. Senate insisted on substitute (38-Y 0-N 0-A)

  31. Senate requested conference committee

  32. House acceded to request

  33. Conferees appointed by Senate

  34. Senate Conferees: Locke, Favola, Pillion

  35. Conferees appointed by House

  36. House Conferees: Sewell, Askew, Kent

  37. Conference Report released

  38. Conference report agreed to by House (76-Y 20-N 0-A)

  39. Conference report agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N 0-A)

  40. Enrolled

  41. Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1208ER)

  42. Signed by President

  43. Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1208)

  44. Signed by Speaker

  45. Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026

  46. Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  47. Approved by Governor-Chapter 456 (effective 7/1/2026)

  48. Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0456)

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