Children First Act of 2017
This bill provides additional funding for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to provide child care for infants and toddlers under the age of four. Specifically, HHS must make grants to: (1) expand access to high-quality child care for infants and toddlers who do not receive child care funded through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), (2) increase the quality of child care funded through CCDF, and (3) provide financial incentives to highly-qualified child care providers and their workforce. HHS may make grants to enable the provision of child care during nontraditional and unpredictable hours.
Under current law, an individual is exempted from TANF's mandatory work requirements if the individual is a single custodial parent caring for a child who is under 6 years of age. This bill expands the exemption to include a single custodial parent or other individual with custody caring for a child who is under 13 years of age.
[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3643 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3643
To amend part A of title IV of the Social Security Act to provide
additional child care funding, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 4, 2017
Mr. Crowley (for himself and Ms. Frankel of Florida) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means,
and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a
period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend part A of title IV of the Social Security Act to provide
additional child care funding, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Children First Act of 2017''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to provide funding to ensure that the families that
have infants and toddlers, that have a family income of not
more than 200 percent of the applicable Federal poverty
guideline, and that need child care have access to high-quality
infant and toddler child care by the end of fiscal year 2028,
in order to promote family economic security and parental
employment, to support parents in balancing work and family
obligations, and to promote children's health, early care, and
learning;
(2) to provide sufficient funding to ensure that both
families and child care providers have the resources they need
to support high-quality early care and learning for infants and
toddlers;
(3) to ensure that provider payment rates, for infant and
toddler child care providers, are set at a level high enough to
support high-quality child care for infants and toddlers,
including infants and toddlers with disabilities;
(4) to assist eligible infant and toddler child care
providers in improving the quality of their programs--
(A) by strengthening the skills, competencies, and
compensation of the workforce of those providers, in a
manner aligned with the report entitled ``Transforming
the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8: A
Unifying Foundation'', issued by the National Academy
of Sciences in April 2015; and
(B) by helping those providers ensure that children
receive the comprehensive services they need, by
coordinating activities with other community service
providers; and
(5) to ensure that high-quality infant and toddler child
care is a strong component of a continuum of quality early care
and learning activities within States and Indian and Native
Hawaiian communities, starting with prenatal care and
continuing through activities in the early school years, with
seamless transitions between programs.
SEC. 3. CHILD CARE FUNDING FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS.
Part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et
seq.) is amended by inserting after section 418 the following:
``SEC. 418A. FUNDING FOR CHILD CARE FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS.
``(a) Grants To Expand Access to High-Quality Child Care.--
``(1) In general.--From the amount reserved under
subsection (g)(1) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall make a
grant--
``(A) to each eligible State that is not a
territory, in an amount that bears the same ratio to 95
percent of the amount so reserved as the number of
infants and toddlers from low-income families in the
State bears to the total number of such infants and
toddlers in all eligible States that are not
territories; and
``(B) to each eligible State that is a territory,
in an amount that bears the same ratio to 5 percent of
the amount so reserved as the number of infants and
toddlers from low-income families in the territory
bears to the total number of such infants and toddlers
in all eligible States that are territories.
``(2) Use of funds.--A State to which a grant is made under
this subsection shall use the grant--
``(A) to expand access to high-quality child care
for infants and toddlers who do not receive child care
funded through the Child Care and Development Fund;
``(B) to increase, as described in this section,
the quality of child care for infants and toddlers who
receive child care funded through the Child Care and
Development Fund; and
``(C)(i) to support payment rates, for child care
providers that serve infants and toddlers, that reflect
the cost of high-quality child care and are sufficient
to attract, support, and retain providers who meet
quality standards that relate to the unique needs of
infants and toddlers, including infants and toddlers
with disabilities; and
``(ii) to increase the compensation of, and provide
other financial incentives for, the highly-qualified
infant and toddler child care workforce.
``(b) Grants for Maintaining Access to Child Care.--From the amount
reserved under subsection (g)(6) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall
make a grant--
``(1) to each eligible State that is not a territory, in an
amount that bears the same ratio to the amount so reserved as
the amount payable to the State under section 418(a)(2)(B) for
the fiscal year bears to the total of the amounts payable under
such section for the fiscal year to all eligible States that
are not territories; and
``(2) to each eligible State that is a territory, in an
amount that bears the same ratio to 5 percent of the amount so
reserved as the amount payable to the territory under section
418(a)(2)(B) for the fiscal year bears to the total of the
amounts payable under such section for the fiscal year to all
eligible States that are territories.
``(c) Grants for Indian and Native Hawaiian Child Care.--
``(1) In general.--
``(A) Grant formula.--In order to ensure that
Indian and Native Hawaiian children have equal access
to high-quality infant and toddler child care, the
Secretary shall develop a formula for allotting the
amount reserved under subsection (g)(2) among Indian
tribes and tribal organizations, and shall make a grant
to each Indian tribe and tribal organization in an
amount equal to the amount allotted to the Indian tribe
or tribal organization under the formula.
``(B) Formula factors.--In developing the formula,
the Secretary shall--
``(i) provide for a level of funding that
will ensure that, by the end of fiscal year
2026, the Indian and Native Hawaiian infants
and toddlers in eligible families will receive
a level of services that is equivalent to the
high-quality child care received by infants and
toddlers in the general population under this
section;
``(ii) take into consideration the unique
needs and circumstances of individuals in
Indian and Native Hawaiian communities, such as
unemployment rates; and
``(iii) the cost of providing high-quality
child care that addresses Indian and Native
Hawaiian culture and language.
``(2) Use of funds.--An Indian tribe or tribal organization
to which a grant is made under this subsection shall use the
grant to provide high-quality child care to infants and
toddlers in low-income families.
``(d) Grants for Child Care During Unconventional Hours.--
``(1) In general.--From the amount reserved under
subsection (g)(5) for each fiscal year, the Secretary may make
a grant--
``(A) to each eligible State that is not a
territory, in an amount that bears the same ratio to
the amount so reserved as the total of the amounts
payable to the State under section 418 and this section
for the fiscal year bears to the total of the amounts
payable under such sections for the fiscal year to all
eligible States that are not territories; and
``(B) to each eligible State that is a territory,
in an amount that bears the same ratio to 5 percent of
the amount so reserved as the total of the amounts
payable to the territory under section 418 and this
section for the fiscal year bears to the total of the
amounts payable under such sections for the fiscal year
to all eligible States that are territories.
``(2) Use of funds.--A State to which a grant is made under
this subsection shall use the grant to enable the provision of
child care during nontraditional and unpredictable hours.
``(e) Applicability of Certain Requirements Relating to Child Care
Funding.--Subsections (a)(2)(D), (a)(5), (b), and (c) of section 418
shall apply with respect to this section in the same way such
subsections apply with respect to section 418.
``(f) Appropriation.--For grants under this section, there are
appropriated--
``(1) $3,745,000,000 for fiscal year 2018;
``(2) $4,212,000,000 for fiscal year 2019;
``(3) $4,926,000,000 for fiscal year 2020;
``(4) $5,972,000,000 for fiscal year 2021;
``(5) $7,038,000,000 for fiscal year 2022;
``(6) $8,146,000,000 for fiscal year 2023;
``(7) $9,775,000,000 for fiscal year 2024;
``(8) $11,416,000,000 for fiscal year 2025;
``(9) $13,169,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; and
``(10) $15,222,000,000 for fiscal year 2027.
``(g) Reservations of Funds.--From the amounts appropriated under
subsection (f) for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall--
``(1) reserve an amount for grants under subsection (a)
(relating to expanding access to high-quality child care);
``(2) reserve not less than 2 percent for grants under
subsection (c) (relating to Indian and Native Hawaiian child
care);
``(3) reserve not more than 0.5 percent for research and
evaluation of activities under this section;
``(4) reserve not more than 0.5 percent for the provision
of technical assistance relating to activities under this
section;
``(5) reserve 6 percent for grants under subsection (d)
(relating to child care provided during nontraditional and
unpredictable hours); and
``(6) reserve the remainder for grants under subsection (b)
(relating to maintaining access to child care).
``(h) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Child care and development fund.--The term `Child
Care and Development Fund' means the funds appropriated under
the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42
U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) and the funds appropriated under section
418 of this Act.
``(2) Eligible family.--The term `eligible family' means a
low-income family that has, and needs child care for, an infant
or toddler.
``(3) Eligible infant or toddler.--The term `eligible
infant or toddler' means an infant or toddler from a low-income
family.
``(4) High-quality.--This term `high-quality', used with
respect to child care (including early care and learning),
means child care that--
``(A) meets the needs of working families,
including full-day and full-year options;
``(B) provides adequate compensation to attract,
retain, and develop a well-qualified workforce, and
provides opportunities for caregivers to progress
through professional development goals;
``(C) promotes age-appropriate social, emotional,
cognitive, and physical development;
``(D) coordinates activities with Head Start and
other public and private agencies to ensure that
infants and toddlers are referred to other appropriate
community services; and
``(E) engages with parents in their roles as first
teachers and partners with parents in their child's
early care and learning and transition to pre-
kindergarten or a Head Start program.
``(5) Infant or toddler.--The term `infant or toddler'
means a child who has not attained 4 years of age.
``(6) Infant or toddler with a disability.--The term
`infant or toddler with a disability' has the meaning given the
term in section 632 of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1432).
``(7) Low-income family.--The term `low-income family'
means a family with a family income of not more than 200
percent of the applicable Federal poverty guideline.
``(8) Native hawaiian.--The term `Native Hawaiian' has the
meaning given the term in section 6207 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517).
``(9) Territory.--The term `territory' means the Virgin
Islands of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,
Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands
``(10) Tribal organization.--The term `tribal organization'
has the meaning given the term in section 658P of the Child
Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.
9858n).''.
SEC. 4. APPLICABILITY OF STATE OR LOCAL HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDS TO
OTHER TANF CHILD CARE SPENDING.
Section 402(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 602(a)) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(8) Certification of procedures to ensure that child care
providers comply with applicable state or local health and
safety standards.--A certification by the Governor of a State
that procedures are in effect to ensure that any child care
provider in the State that provides services funded through
expenditures under this part or with qualified State
expenditures complies with all applicable State or local health
and safety requirements as described in section 658E(c)(2)(I)
of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990.''.
SEC. 5. AVAILABILITY OF CHILD CARE FOR PARENTS REQUIRED TO WORK.
Section 407(e)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 607(e)(2))
is amended--
(1) by inserting ``or other individual with custody'' after
``parent''; and
(2) by striking ``6'' and inserting ``13''.
SEC. 6. APPLICATION OF CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT ACT OF
1990 REPORTING RULES TO TANF FUNDS EXPENDED FOR CHILD
CARE.
(a) In General.--Section 411(a) of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 611(a)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraph (7) as paragraph (8); and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (6) the following:
``(7) Application of child care and development block grant
act of 1990 reporting rules to funds expended for child care.--
Any funds provided under this part that are expended for child
care, whether or not transferred to the Child Care and
Development Block Grant Act of 1990, shall be subject to the
individual and case data reporting requirements imposed under
that Act and need not be included in the report required by
paragraph (1) for a fiscal quarter.''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 411(a)(1)(A)(ix) of such Act (42
U.S.C. 611(a)(1)(A)(ix)) is amended by striking ``supplemental
nutrition assistance program benefits, or subsidized child care, and if
the latter 2,'' and inserting ``or supplemental nutrition assistance
program benefits, and if the latter,''.
SEC. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE.
(a) In General.--Subject to subsections (b) and (c), the amendments
made by this Act shall take effect on October 1, 2018, and shall apply
to payments under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act for
calendar quarters beginning on or after such date, without regard to
whether regulations to implement the amendments are promulgated by such
date.
(b) Application of Reporting Rules.--The amendments made by section
6 shall take effect on October 1, 2019.
(c) Delay Permitted if State Legislation Required.--In the case of
a State plan under section 402(a) of the Social Security Act which the
Secretary of Health and Human Services determines requires State
legislation (other than legislation appropriating funds) in order for
the plan to meet the additional requirements imposed by the amendments
made by this Act, the State plan shall not be regarded as failing to
comply with the requirements of such section 402(a) solely on the basis
of the failure of the plan to meet such additional requirements before
the 1st day of the 1st calendar quarter beginning after the close of
the 1st regular session of the State legislature that begins after the
date of the enactment of this Act. For purposes of the previous
sentence, in the case of a State that has a 2-year legislative session,
each year of such session shall be deemed to be a separate regular
session of the State legislature.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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