Emergency services: licensed childcare providers.

The California Emergency Services Act creates, within the office of the Governor, the Office of Emergency Services, which is responsible for addressing natural, technological, or man-made disasters and emergencies, including responsibility for activities necessary to prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of emergencies and disasters to people and property. Existing law authorizes, if the federal government offers services, equipment, supplies, materials, or funds by way of gift, grant, or loan, for purposes of mitigating the effects of an emergency, the state to accept the offer. This bill would require the Office of Emergency Services, in consultation with the State Department of Social Services and specified childcare stakeholders, to develop best practices regarding the use, by licensed childcare providers, of funds provided either by the state, or to the state by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after the Governor has declared a disaster, state of emergency, or statewide state of emergency. The bill would require these best practices to be developed by June 1, 2022. The bill would require the best practices document to specify, subject to any limitations imposed on the use of funds by the state, FEMA, or federal law, how the funds will be allocated to licensed childcare providers, the timelines at which the funds will be distributed, and any purpose for which the funds may be used, as specified.