Waiver of child start-up allowance and reform of family allowance (amendment request)

The Bavarian state parliament voted on an amendment from the ALLIANCE 90/THE GREENS parliamentary group to the state government's draft law to introduce a Bavarian child start-up allowance. The original draft law proposed combining the previous family and crèche benefits into a one-off payment of 3,000 euros per child, which would be paid out from the age of two. The Greens' amendment takes the approach of foregoing the introduction of child start-up allowance and instead gradually phasing out the current family allowance. In the future, the benefit should only be paid for children born by the end of August 2026. For a transitional period, it is planned that family allowance will continue to be granted, but depending on income and only up to an annual income limit of 100,000 euros. The aim is to no longer pay out the funds released as direct cash benefits to families, but rather to invest more in the expansion and financing of child day care. This should relieve the burden on municipalities in particular and improve the quality and availability of childcare places. The amendment was rejected with 130 votes against. 26 MPs voted for the motion, there were no abstentions.