What's missing from Hochul's child care plan

And a new Democrat-sponsored bill would delay the electric school bus mandate.

Good afternoon — It’s Thursday and International Fact-Checking Day.

• Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to expand access to child care is missing a key plank that could jeopardize its success, stakeholders say.

• Rules and Regs: New York is significantly expanding three state programs that help municipalities fund infrastructure changes to reduce carbon emissions.

• The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision is seeking to change regulations around contraband drugs and disciplinary measures.

• Bills on the Move: The state Senate and Assembly have passed a bill that would require the Hochul administration to set new lead hazard standards.

• New Bills of Note: New York’s mandate for school districts to purchase electric buses exclusively starting in 2027 would be delayed by a new Democrat-sponsored bill.

Names in today’s CapCon: Kathy Hochul, Dede Hill, Pete Nabozny, Marina Marcou-O’Malley, Carl E. Heastie, Daniel F. Martuscello III, Julia Salazar, Cordell Cleare, Crystal Peoples-Stokes, Chris Ryan, James Skoufis, Angelo Santabarbara

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(New York Governor’s Office)

💰 What else Hochul’s child care plan needs to be successful, according to stakeholders

Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democrats in the state Legislature have not yet begun to hammer out the details of what’s expected to be an agreement to expand access to child care in New York.

That’s good news for some advocates, who say the plan proposed by Hochul in January and largely favored by Democrats in the state Legislature is missing a key plank that could jeopardize its success.

Those advocates don’t oppose Hochul’s plan. They support it but they view it as a foundation for investments that could be made in this year’s state budget to ensure the state’s efforts to reach universal access to child care succeed.