[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8409 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8409
To assist parents in locating and utilizing child care that meets
individual family needs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 15, 2024
Mr. Nickel introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Ways and Means
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To assist parents in locating and utilizing child care that meets
individual family needs.
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 ``Helping Our Parents Enroll (HOPE) in
Child Care Act''.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL CHILD CARE NAVIGATOR GRANTS.
(a) In General.--Title XX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1397 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Subtitle D--National Child Care Navigator Grant Program
``SEC. 2071. GRANTS.
``The Secretary may make grants to eligible local partners for the
purpose of providing free access to information, counseling, and
assistance with respect to locating, enrolling in, and paying for child
care, including through programs funded under section 418 of this Act
or the Child Care and Development Block Grant of 1990, and through the
provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 under which child care
expenditures may be subsidized.
``SEC. 2072. GRANT APPLICATION AND PLAN REQUIREMENTS.
``(a) In General.--To be eligible for a grant under this subtitle,
an eligible local partner shall submit an application to the Secretary,
at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may provide, that
includes a plan to establish a program to provide free access to the
information, counseling, and assistance referred to in section 2071. As
a condition of the grant, the eligible local partner must demonstrate,
to the satisfaction of the Secretary--
``(1) an ability to adequately provide the information,
counseling, and assistance; and
``(2) commitment to operating a program that satisfies the
requirements of subsection (d).
``(b) Duration.--Each grant under this subtitle shall be awarded
for a period of 5 years, except that the grantee may reapply for
another 5-year period at the end of each grant period, and the
Secretary may terminate such a grant for noncompliance with data
reporting requirements or failure to provide promised services or
comply with any grant condition.
``(c) Amount.--The Secretary shall determine the amount of any
grant under this subtitle so as to maximize the number of parents with
access to navigators referred to in subsection (d)(1).
``(d) Program Requirements.--A program satisfies the requirements
of this subsection if the program--
``(1) establishes a system of staff members, including
navigators, to provide information on--
``(A) navigating child care systems, including
information on--
``(i) applying for subsidized child care;
``(ii) consumer education and information
about types of child care settings;
``(iii) navigating the child care resource
and referral system funded under the Child Care
and Development Block Grant Act of 1990; and
``(iv) center-based and home based child
care;
``(B) accessing such systems in languages other
than English and protections against non-discrimination
on the basis of limited English proficiency under title
VI of the Civil Rights Act, accommodations and
protections against non-discrimination under the
Americans with Disabilities Act and section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and protections against
non-discrimination under other Federal civil rights
laws in child care settings; and
``(C) any other information specified by the
Secretary;
``(2) in conjunction with the system established under
paragraph (1), establishes a system of referral to appropriate
departments or agencies within the State in which the eligible
local partner is located and, when appropriate, the Federal
Government, for other issues related to obtaining assistance
(including legal aid), as determined by the Secretary; and
``(3) establishes a community-based system of education and
outreach to raise public awareness of and increase access to
the resources described in section 2071 and the availability of
information, counseling, and assistance provided by the system
of staff members described in paragraph (1) and the system of
referrals described in paragraph (2), including by--
``(A) engaging in a robust program of culturally
and linguistically competent education and outreach;
``(B) creating visual and written content using
clear and plain language;
``(C) tailoring materials to members of underserved
areas or populations;
``(D) working with employers and child care
providers to promote the awareness and distribution of
information to employees and parents in the community;
and
``(E) partnering with governmental and non-
governmental organizations serving working parents or
child care providers;
``(4) provides for a sufficient number of staff positions
(which may include but may not consist entirely of volunteer
positions) necessary to provide the services of the program;
``(5) provides for training programs for staff members
(including volunteer staff members) and allows for continuous
improvement processes for community-based strategies to ensure
maximum outreach and engagement with underserved areas or
populations;
``(6) provides for the collection and dissemination of
timely, impartial, and accurate programmatic information to
staff members (including volunteer staff members);
``(7) maintains confidentiality of all personal information
provided to navigators or program staff (including volunteer
staff), including by following procedures set by the Secretary
for destroying personally identifiable information and
preventing it from being shared with any other government
entity;
``(8) collects non-personally identifiable data to measure
equitable access to the program, as described in section
2073(2); and
``(9) provides data to the Secretary, upon request,
regarding how individuals are being served by the program,
including--
``(A) data and details on the number of individuals
served, as well as the type and number of services such
individuals are receiving;
``(B) data and details on the problems that
individuals may encounter, including a lack of timely
payment of benefits or child care availability; and
``(C) data and details on improvements that could
be made at the State or Federal level to promote
equitable access to child care.
``(e) Guaranteed Number of Grantees Per State.--For each grant
cycle, the Secretary shall award a grant under this subtitle to at
least 2 eligible local partners in each State that is not Puerto Rico,
Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or the Northern Mariana
Islands, to the extent there are a sufficient number of applications
submitted by the entities that meet the requirements applicable with
respect to the grant.
``(f) Maintenance of Effort.--Funds awarded to a State or county
under this subtitle shall be used to supplement, not supplant, State
and Federal funds, and may not be used to replace any personnel
selected on a merit basis.
``SEC. 2073. CRITERIA FOR MAKING GRANTS.
``In determining whether to make a grant under this subtitle to an
eligible local partner, the Secretary shall consider the commitment of
the eligible local partner to--
``(1) carrying out the program described in section 2072;
and
``(2) promoting equitable access to the program in the
State in which the eligible local partner is located, including
as the equitable access pertains to--
``(A) race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual
orientation, disability, economic status, religion,
citizenship, or age;
``(B) geographic area; and
``(C) other factors as determined by the Secretary,
in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and
the Secretary of Labor.
``SEC. 2074. LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``(a) Grants.--For grants under this subtitle, there is authorized
to be appropriated to the Secretary not more than $500,000,000 for each
of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.
``(b) Federal Administration.--For the provision of administrative
support and technical assistance for grants awarded under this
subtitle, there is authorized to be appropriated for each of fiscal
years 2025 through 2029 $5,000,000 to the Secretary of Health and Human
Services.
``SEC. 2075. DEFINITIONS.
``In this subtitle:
``(1) Eligible local partner.--The term `eligible local
partner' means a State, county, Indian tribe, tribal
organization, or non-profit organization (including a labor
organization) with a presence within a State, a history of
knowledge of the resources described in section 2071, and a
demonstrated commitment to helping workers and families.
``(2) Indian tribe; tribal organization.--The terms `Indian
tribe' and `tribal organization' have the meanings give the
terms in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and
Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
``(3) State.--The term `State' means the 50 States, the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands,
American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall
take effect on October 1, 2024.
<all>