Washington, DC – This week, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) wrote Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (letter attached)  requesting that the United States Department of Health & Human Services conduct a compliance audit of the Mississippi Department of Health Services’ implementation of federal child care block grants.  The audit was requested Thursday, November 29, 2012 after Congressman Thompson received numerous complaints that certain federal laws and regulations have not been followed by MDHS, which could lead to inefficient delivery of affordable child care services in the State of Mississippi.

“Many low income parents throughout Mississippi are concerned with finding and keeping good paying jobs,” Thompson said.  “These parents should not also have to stress themselves with the possibility of reduced access to affordable, quality child care. We should work to enhance the standards of our state’s child care system, but not at the expense of hard working parents and their children.  Based on the reports that I have received, I am deeply concerned that Mississippi’s Child Payment Program is failing to administer federal funds as prescribed by law.”

In Thompson’s letter to Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Thompson asserts that, “child care providers have brought to my attention that they are being forced to accept unreasonable demands from the State of Mississippi.  Child care providers allege that these demands are causing many facilities to face closure; thereby, denying many eligible minority families participation in the federal child care certificate program.”

Specifically, Thompson has requested that the United States Department of Health & Human Services investigate MDHS to determine if they have:

·         failed to complete the definition of TANF “Reasonable Distance”;
·         failed to coordinate the TANF definition of “Reasonable Distance” with the child care agency;
·         discriminated against select TANF parents and their chosen child care providers;
·         failed to inform clients of the TANF definition of “Reasonable Distance”;
·         failed to investigate violation of TANF “parental choice”;
·         failed to adhere to published TANF policy as outlined in Mississippi Volume III;
·         created a new barrier to retaining employment and family self-sufficiency for lack of child care subsidy;
·         denied equal access to child care programs for low-income children;
·         violated the Fair Labor Standards Act in payment to domestic servants/in-home providers;
·         failed to adhere to its CCDF State Plan and the Child Care Policies Manual;
·         violated the Mississippi Administrative Procedures Act;
·         violated federal Codes of Conduct and Competition and Mississippi Ethics Law in the award of sub-grants;
·         failed to oversee the enforcement of all Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) child care licensing law;
·         failed to demonstrate CCDF funds have been or will be apportioned among the political subdivisions throughout the state; and
·         failed to demonstrate at least 70 percent of CCDF mandatory and matching funds to provide child care services to three categories of families.

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