Two Republican lawmakers said they'll introduce a bill to fight fraud in publicly funded child care centers, saying the state isn’t doing enough to catch it. This comes a day after two of their GOP colleagues introduced their own anti-fraud bill and praised state officials for their work.
The dueling bills come as social media influencers targeted Somali-run daycares with unfounded allegations of fraud similar to that uncovered starting in 2021 in Minnesota, the U.S. State with the largest population of people of Somali descent. The schemes involving food, housing, autism services and child care programs aimed at children, the elderly and disabled have led to more than 60 convictions. Federal prosecutors estimate the total of public money bilked in Minnesota could be in the billions.
Ohio pays child cares based on attendance, not enrollment. The bill from Reps. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Twp.) and D.J. Swearingen (R-Sandusky) would require all child care centers that receive public funding to install cameras that record video, and to store the video for 60 days. Those cameras and video must be able to be accessed by the Department of Children and Youth in real time so attendance could be monitored and inspections could be conducted remotely. DCY would be required to set up a portal for parents, not providers, to report attendance. The bill would also stop payments if fraud is suspected, and would give the attorney general more prosecution power.
“This ensures that fraud is not quietly handled internally like we've seen and not forgotten or swept under the rug, because the department or the administration does not want to have a black eye or appear to demonize a particular community or group,” Williams said.
Williams said tips received in recent weeks resulted in a higher percentage of fraud uncovered than the state found in all of 2025. Williams cited a statement from DeWine's office that said the state conducted more than 10,000 inspections last year, with 38 child care centers shut down and two more going through administrative hearings. DeWine's office also said in a statement that DCY received 124 tips from the public, resulting in 12 child cares closed and 61 programs ordered to pay back the state for overpayments.
“It is clear to me that the current system isn't catching the fraud, but yet the public is," said Williams at a Thursday press conference, citing videos posted on social media and information from Gov. Mike DeWine's office. "Ohio families deserve a child care system that protects children and taxpayers.”
DeWine’s spokesman said Williams may be mistaken in how he’s interpreting that data. Ohio has the second-highest population of people of Somali descent among all states. Over the last few weks, social media influencers have approached Columbus-area child cares operated by Somali-Americans and immigrants. DeWine and other officials have noted that fraud happens in every publicly funded program.
Williams' bill is supported by Republican Attorney General Dave Yost. He said it will allow current technology to help find fraud when it happens.
"We've got a whole army of citizen journalists out there now that are looking into things and asking questions and I think that's healthy for our society," Yost said. "What is not healthy is the notion that we can connect the dots by supposition and inference and not seek any further proof. Evidence still matters. There are multiple explanations for things that we observe. And it's important to go beyond the top line and do the rest of the work."
The bill goes further than a measure proposed Wednesday by Reps. Phil Plummer (R-Dayton) and Tom Young (R-Washington Twp.). House Bill 647 would improve data on childcare expenditures, as well as expanding the AG's authority to investigate childcare fraud and make it easier to quickly stop payments to suspect childcare facilities. Plummer said they worked with DCY and its director Kara Wente on the bill.
"These guys have done a great job, are really ahead of this problem," Plummer said of state officials at a Wednesday press conference. "But unfortunately, as you seen in our communities, a lot of people are gaslighting this issue and have really blown it out of proportion."
Williams said his bill doesn't include an appropriation, and there's no estimate on the cost to the state and to child care providers. He said DCY can bring those numbers to committee hearings. Williams said protocols must be included to ensure the videos are secure and confidential, but that parents will need to accept that their kids will be on camera throughout the day.
"We're going to provide that for state sponsored child care," Williams said. "If parents don't feel comfortable that the state is going to provide oversight to make sure your child is present, safe and secure, not being abused, or that if abuse occurs, we have video of it and we can prosecute, we don't need to speculate—if parents are not comfortable with that, then don't take child care subsidies. It's that simple."
The bill hasn't been formally introduced or assigned a number.
Williams is among the candidates in the May Republican primary to face longtime Toledo-area U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH 9) this fall. That field grew Thursday as Madison Sheahan resigned as the deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to join the race. Plummer will face Rep. Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria) in the May primary to replace Sen. Steve Huffman (R-Troy), who is term limited.
