Rep. Josh Williams’ legislation aims to prevent fraud in Ohio-funded daycare centers

State Reps. Josh Williams, R-Sylvania Twp., and D.J. Swearingen, R-Huron, introduced legislation that would crack down on the state’s taxpayer-funded daycare fraud and improve child safety by requiring the installation of instant-access video cameras at childcare centers that receive public funds.

“Ohio has a responsibility to ensure that children in publicly funded childcare centers are safe and that taxpayer dollars are being used honestly,” Williams said in a press release. “The state needs to possess adequate tools to fully audit these centers and to guarantee child safety in a meaningful and appropriate way. This legislation closes that gap.”

In addition to the installation of the cameras, the bill would also require the state-funded childcare centers to “retain video recordings for a minimum of 60 days,” “provide the Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) with instant access to live and stored video for attendance audits, administrative oversight, and child safety concerns,” and “utilize a secure system developed by DCY to conduct and log visual attendance audits.”

Anyone in charge of a daycare center found to be committing “waste, fraud, or abuse” would “face immediate suspension or termination of public funding.”

“This is a reasonable requirement for childcare centers that accept public funds,” Swearingen said in the press release. “It protects children, respects privacy, and gives the state the tools it needs to hold bad actors accountable. By raising the standard for compliance, Ohio can lead the nation in preventing fraud in a system that must put children first.”

In his post on X, Williams wrote that the bill “will create the most robust fraud prevention system in the country for our state’s publicly funded child care facilities.”

“This bill will create a simple rule: If you are a daycare taking taxpayer dollars, you will prove attendance, prove services, and remain in compliance– or you will lose funding and be subject to prosecution,” he wrote, adding in another post that the state’s lawmakers “owe it to Ohio’s citizens to be good stewards of their tax dollars and make sure they aren’t being stolen by fraudsters.”

I am proud to be partnering with Representative @DJSwearingenOH and Attorney General @DaveYostOH on this incredibly important piece of legislation.

We owe it to Ohio's citizens to be good stewards of their tax dollars and make sure they aren't being stolen by fraudsters.

The…

— Rep. Josh Williams (@JoshWilliamsOH) January 15, 2026

The bill is now waiting for a number and committee assignment.

Last month, Williams and Swearingen, along with other lawmakers, sent a letter to Kara Wente, the director of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, calling for unannounced inspections of daycares, especially the ones in Columbus.

“There have been widespread public reports alleging that certain childcare facilities participating in publicly funded childcare programs are fraudulently billing the State of Ohio for children who are not actually in attendance,” the Republican lawmakers wrote in the letter. “These allegations raise serious concerns regarding program integrity, the responsible use of taxpayer dollars, and the overall credibility of Ohio’s publicly funded childcare system.”