Childcare Fraud Bills See Updates From Ohio Legislature

A bill introduced in the Ohio General Assembly earlier this year is seeing changes as lawmakers craft how to deal with concerns about childcare centers.

In January, Republican state Reps. Josh Williams and DJ Swearingen introduced House Bill 649, with the House Children and Human Services Committee continuing to review the bill.

The bill requires the Ohio Department of Children and Youth to immediately conduct a preliminary investigation following an allegation of waste, fraud, or abuse at childcare centers receiving public funding in the state.

When introducing the bill, Williams promoted standardized enforcement so “no one can complain about the oversight because it’s a uniform rule by the Legislature across the state of Ohio.”

The Childcare Fraud Prevention Act, Williams said, came in response “to an overwhelming request for better oversight of our publicly funded childcare system in Ohio.”

The legislation “has a very simple purpose,” Williams said of his bill in January. “If the government is taking money from Ohio taxpayers and using it to fund childcare, the government has a moral and legal obligation to protect that money and protect the children tied to those state funds.”

On Tuesday, the bill’s sponsors offered a change allowing the inspector general to request additional evidence from the Ohio Department of Children and Youth at any point in the investigation and to pause the investigation until that evidence is made available. In addition, the Ohio House speaker and Senate president must be alerted at the start of an investigation.

A committee meeting in March amended the bill so that the storage of photos or videos taken at childcare facilities would be prohibited, citing surveillance concerns. Only footage from devices owned by the Ohio Department of Children and Youth may be allowed.

Another bill, Ohio House Bill 647, moved funding back to the Ohio Department of Children and Youth budget, with Director Kara Wente in support.

Concerns about fraud, including those involving the home health system and Medicaid fraud, have thrust Ohio into the national spotlight, including Gov. Mike DeWine’s handling of the situation.