West Blasts Dems for Blocking Childcare Reform

ST. PAUL – State Rep. Nolan West, R-Blaine, criticized House Democrats after they voted down a comprehensive childcare reform bill on Wednesday that he said would reduce crushing costs for Minnesota families and ease burdensome regulations on daycare providers.

The legislation () was originally brought forward by a Rep. Nathan Coulter, D-Bloomington. West said it represented a rare bipartisan opportunity to address what he said is a childcare crisis in Minnesota. He indicated that, after years of collaborative work, the bill aimed to reform the entire system by streamlining the regulations and moving them from rules into statute.

In Minnesota, reports show the average annual cost of infant childcare now exceeds $20,000 – among the highest in the nation. West said these exorbitant prices stem in large part from some of the most excessive and micromanaging regulations in the country, including state rules that dictate exactly how many building blocks daycares must have on hand. Endless paperwork and unnecessary mandates drive up operational costs, which are then passed directly to working parents, he said.

“After years of work, we had a bill – brought by a Democrat and the department – that would have reformed the entire childcare system,” said West, who co-chairs the committee on families and children. “It wasn’t perfect, but it represented a massive improvement – cutting red tape, lowering costs, and helping daycares stay open while making care more affordable for families – but Democrats voted it down because they wanted to transform it into an omnibus package stuffed with a plethora of other bills.”