The Knesset Finance Committee advanced a bill Tuesday that would restore daycare subsidies for children of Charedi yeshiva students affected by draft-related restrictions, sending the proposal to its first Knesset reading.

In August 2024, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara instructed the Labor Ministry to stop daycare subsidies for children of Charedi yeshiva students who did not comply with draft orders, arguing that after the High Court ruled Charedi community members must be drafted, the state could no longer fund benefits for those who did not enlist.

The legislation, sponsored by the Charedi United Torah Judaism party, would prevent the government from factoring a yeshiva student’s draft status into daycare eligibility or admission priorities. Instead, eligibility would be based only on the child’s mother’s employment or educational status.

The committee also amended the proposal to provide reservists with priority in daycare admissions and subsidy calculations, following requests from committee chairman Hanoch Milwidsky and other lawmakers.

The bill’s sponsor, Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni, welcomed the committee’s decision, saying, “We are ensuring that women will be able to go out to work and earn a respectable livelihood.”

Justice Ministry representatives opposed the bill, telling lawmakers that even if it passes, families where the father is considered a draft refuser would still not qualify for daycare benefits under the government’s own rules.

The bill passed a preliminary vote last month after reports that Gafni threatened to support a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 Hamas attack unless the legislation moved forward. The coalition opposes such a commission and is instead seeking a different investigative framework.

The daycare subsidy bill is expected to reach the Knesset plenum Wednesday for its first reading.