Committee backs plan to retrofit state building into child‑care center, reserving half the slots for state employees

Senator Escamilla presented SB 248 as a targeted public–private partnership to expand child‑care capacity by retrofitting a state‑owned building. The sponsor said the state will pay for retrofitting and lease the space while a private employer contracts with a licensed Utah child‑care provider to operate the center.

“We already own the building and [will] create this public private partnership to expand childcare capacity by retrofitting an existing state owned building,” Escamilla said. He said the project is intended to ease access and affordability constraints for working families and to support workforce retention among state employees.

Andy Mara, director of the Division of Facilities and Construction Management (DFCM), identified the site as the Tax Commission warehouse on 1950 West and described why the site is feasible for a child‑care center: it has outdoor spacing, parking and layout conducive to licensing requirements. Mara also described the maintenance and operations funding mechanism: the program would run through DFCM’s internal service fund (ISF), using market‑based square‑foot O&M rates and an adjustable process for future rate changes.

Senator Escamilla said the center is expected to create roughly 200 seats, and the bill would reserve half of those slots for state employees, military and nearby community members; the remaining 50% would be available to the private employer/operator. Dr. Sarastona, who said she has run a child‑care center for eight years and represents the Utah Association for the Education of Young Children, urged passage and warned that the economics of child care require public investment.

Representative Malga moved to favorably recommend SB 248; the motion passed 5–3, with Representatives Fia Fia, Hansen and Shelley recorded in opposition. The committee prioritized the bill for Senate funding and recommended it to the full House.

What happens next: SB 248 will proceed to the House with a favorable recommendation; sponsors and DFCM said further details on contracting, licensing and slot allocation will be refined as the project moves through appropriations and implementation planning.