Ensuring Children and Child Care Workers Are Safe Act of 2020

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7909 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7909

To facilitate access to child care services safely and securely during 
                         the COVID-19 pandemic.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 31, 2020

 Ms. Finkenauer (for herself and Mr. Guthrie) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To facilitate access to child care services safely and securely during 
                         the COVID-19 pandemic.

    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 ``Ensuring Children and Child Care 
Workers Are Safe Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Child care is an essential service that supports 
        children's early development and allows parents to work.
            (2) At least 1 out of 2 child care providers closed at some 
        point during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2 out of 5 face the 
        possibility of permanent closure.
            (3) The lack of access to child care services can prevent 
        parents from returning to work and can prevent children from 
        accessing critical services, including meals.
            (4) Ensuring the safe re-opening and operation of child 
        care service settings during periods of community transmission 
        of COVID-19 will require child care providers to adopt new 
        measures and practices in order to reduce the likelihood of 
        COVID-19 transmission.
            (5) Such measures and practices must ensure the safety of 
        children as well as child care workers, who may be at high risk 
        of infection.
            (6) Ensuring that working families have access to safe 
        child care service options is critical to supporting young 
        children's development and to returning the economy back to its 
        pre-pandemic levels.

SEC. 3. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ON THE SAFE PROVISION OF CHILD CARE 
              SERVICES.

    (a) Technical Assistance to States.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
        (in this Act referred to as the Secretary), in consultation 
        with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention, shall provide technical assistance to States, 
        Indian Tribes, and tribal organizations related to the safe 
        provision of child care services while there is community 
        transmission of COVID-19. Such technical assistance shall 
        include information about--
                    (A) the prevention of COVID-19 transmission in 
                child care provider settings, including the use of face 
                masks and other personal protective equipment in such 
                settings,
                    (B) training and professional development on health 
                and safety practices related to the prevention of 
                COVID-19 transmission in child care provider settings,
                    (C) the acquisition and use of personal protective 
                equipment, and
                    (D) modifications of child care provider settings 
                and services to prevent COVID-19 transmission, such as 
                optimal staff-to-child ratios across such settings and 
                the use of mental health supports.
            (2) Materials.--As part of such technical assistance 
        efforts, the Secretary shall--
                    (A) publish educational materials related to the 
                prevention of COVID-19 transmission in child care 
                provider settings, including by posting such materials 
                on a website,
                    (B) update any such materials as necessary to 
                reflect advancements in the science of COVID-19, and
                    (C) provide a mechanism through which States may 
                exchange best practices relating to the safe operation 
                of child care providers.
    (b) Technical Assistance to Child Care Providers.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary may make grants to lead 
        agencies designated under section 658D(a) of the Child Care and 
        Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858b(a)) to 
        provide guidance, technical assistance, and support to child 
        care providers, either directly or through resource and 
        referral agencies or staffed family child care networks, 
        regarding the safe operation of child care providers while 
        there is community transmission of COVID-19.
            (2) Reservation.--The Secretary shall reserve 2.75 percent 
        of funds appropriated to carry out this section to make 
        payments to Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, or consortia 
        of Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations.
            (3) Allotments.--From amounts appropriated to carry out 
        this section and not reserved under paragraph (2), the 
        Secretary shall allot to Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin 
        Islands of the United States, and the Commonwealth of the 
        Northern Mariana Islands and to the remaining States amounts in 
        accordance with subsections (a)(1) and subsection (b) of 
        section 658O of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act 
        of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858m), except that none of such remaining 
        States shall receive an allotment of less than $10,000.
            (4) Requirements.--Each lead agency that receives a grant 
        under this section shall ensure that--
                    (A) guidance, technical assistance, and support are 
                available to child care providers regardless of such 
                providers' settings, sizes, or administrative 
                capacities, and
                    (B) guidance, technical assistance, and support are 
                available in the languages most commonly spoken in the 
                State, Indian Tribe, or Tribal organization.
    (c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 60 days after funds are 
appropriated to carry out this Act, the Secretary shall provide to the 
Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives and to 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a 
report that includes--
            (1) recommendations for how to ensure the safe provision of 
        child care services while there is community transmission of 
        COVID-19, including recommendations that address each of the 
        issues described in subparagraphs (A) through (D) of subsection 
        (a)(1),
            (2) recommendations for how to ensure the supply of child 
        care services meets demand during periods when providers 
        implement the recommendations described in paragraph (1), 
        including whether it will be necessary to expand the number of 
        child care providers to meet such demand and, if so, 
        recommendations for how to expand the number of child care 
        providers, and
            (3) the estimated cost of implementing the recommendations 
        described in paragraphs (1) and (2).

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    The terms ``State'', ``Indian Tribe'', and ``Tribal organization'' 
have the meanings given such terms in section 658P of the Child Care 
and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n).

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act, 
$5,000,000 for fiscal year 2020. Funds appropriated to carry out this 
Act shall remain available until expended.
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