[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3595 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3595

  To amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to 
  authorize financial assistance to permit infants to be cared for at 
                            home by parents.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 21, 2003

    Ms. DeLauro (for herself, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mr. Sanders, Mr. 
  Delahunt, Ms. Roybal-Allard, and Ms. Lee) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 
                               Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to 
  authorize financial assistance to permit infants to be cared for at 
                            home by parents.

    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 ``At-Home Infant Care Act of 2004''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) In the majority of American families, parents, whether 
        married or single, must work to provide economic security for 
        their families and, not the least, for the infants newly 
        welcomed into the family. Fifty-five percent of women with 
        children less than 1 year of age are part of the workforce, 
        while 73 percent of women with children 1 year of age or older 
        are in the workforce.
            (2) Research shows that the quality and nature of care-
        taking in the first months and years of life are critical to a 
        newborn's subsequent brain development, social development, and 
        well-being. Healthy early development depends on nurturing and 
        dependable relationships.
            (3) Research also shows that there is an extreme shortage 
        of quality, affordable child care for infants. Numerous studies 
        document lack of infant care and, in particular, affordable 
        care that meets basic health and safety standards, particularly 
        in rural areas. The current number of licensed infant slots can 
        only meet 18 percent of the potential need. The shortage is 
        even more acute in rural areas, especially those with a high 
        percentage of low-wage residents.
            (4) For the well-being of American children, and for the 
        economic security of the families on which they depend, working 
        parents should be able to provide this care themselves without 
        undermining family economic stability.

SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT ACT OF 
              1990.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 658B of the Child 
Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858) is 
amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(other than section 658H)'' after 
        ``subchapter'',
            (2) by inserting ``(a) In General.--'' before ``There'', 
        and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(b) Infant Care at Home.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
for each of the fiscal years 2005, 2006, and 2007 such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out section 658H.''.
    (b) Application and Plan.--Section 658E(c) of the Child Care and 
Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858c(c)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A)(i) by inserting ``(other 
                than section 658H)'' after ``subchapter'', and
                    (B) in subparagraph (B) by inserting ``(other than 
                section 658H)'' after ``subchapter'', and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(I) Maintenance of effort.--Certify that the 
                State agrees that funds appropriated under section 658B 
                for any period will be used to supplement, and not to 
                supplant, non-Federal funds that in the absence of 
                funds appropriated under section 658B would be made 
                available to provide child care services and infant 
                care.'',
            (2) in paragraph (3)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (B) by inserting ``(other than 
                section 658H)'' after ``subchapter'',
                    (B) in subparagraph (D) by inserting ``(other than 
                section 658H)'' after ``subchapter'', and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(E) Assistance for infant care at home.--If a 
                State elects to receive funds appropriated under 
                section 658B(b) for a fiscal year, the State plan shall 
                provide that the State will use such funds to carry out 
                section 658H in accordance with the applicable 
                requirements of this subchapter.'', and
            (3) in paragraph (5) by inserting ``and, if applicable, by 
        eligible parent caregivers who receive financial assistance 
        provided under section 658H'' before the period at the end.
    (c) Activities to Improve the Quality of Child Care.--Section 658G 
of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 
9858e) is amended by inserting ``(other than section 658H)'' after 
``subchapter''.
    (d) Financial Assistance for Infant Care Provided at Home by 
Parents.--The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 
U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 658G the 
following:

``SEC. 658H. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR INFANT CARE PROVIDED AT HOME BY 
              PARENTS.

    ``(a) Authority to Make Grants.--With funds appropriated under 
section 658B(b) for a fiscal year, the Secretary may make grants 
equitably on the basis of the demonstrated need of parent caregivers 
for financial assistance, to eligible States to provide financial 
assistance to enable eligible parents to become the caregivers for 
eligible infants at home.
    ``(b) Eligibility of Parents.--A parent of an eligible infant is 
eligible to receive financial assistance provided under subsection (a) 
by a State only if such parent--
            ``(1) is a member of a family that does not receive child 
        care services for such infant provided with funds appropriated 
        under section 658B(a) for such fiscal year;
            ``(2)(A) is a member of a single-parent family and--
                    ``(i) worked not less than 60 hours (in the 
                aggregate); or
                    ``(ii) worked not less than 40 hours (in the 
                aggregate) and attended not less than 20 hours (in the 
                aggregate) a postsecondary education or training 
                program;
in the 3-month period ending on the date such parent applies for such 
assistance; or
            ``(B) is a member of a 2-parent family in which both 
        parents worked 120 hours (in the aggregate) in the 3-month 
        period ending on the date such parent applies for such 
        assistance;
            ``(3)(A) is a member of a single-parent family and agrees 
        to use such assistance to personally care for such infant at 
        home in lieu of placing such infant with an eligible child care 
        provider; or
            ``(B) is a member of a 2-parent family and--
                    ``(i) such parent agrees to use such assistance to 
                personally care for such infant at home in lieu of 
                placing such infant with a child care provider; and
                    ``(ii) the other parent will work for compensation 
                during such period; and
            ``(4) to comply with any other requirement applicable under 
        this subchapter.
    ``(c) Limitation.--Financial assistance may not be provided under 
this section to an eligible parent for a period exceeding 24 months (in 
the aggregate) during the lifetime of such parent.''.
    (e) Evaluation and Report to Congress.--Section 658L of the Child 
Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858j) is 
amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(a) Biennial Reports.--'' before 
        ``Not'', and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(b) Report on At-Home Infant Care.--Not later than 4 years after 
the date of the enactment of At-Home Infant Care Act of 2004, the 
Secretary shall submit, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives 
and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, a report containing a 
summary of an evaluation carried out by the Secretary to determine the 
effectiveness of infant care provided under section 658H. Such 
evaluation shall include information relating to--
            ``(1) experiences of the States in developing and operating 
        programs under section 658H, including design issues and issues 
        in coordinating infant care under such section with child care 
        services provided under other provisions of this subchapter;
            ``(2) characteristics of families seeking to receive 
        financial assistance, and of families receiving such 
        assistance, provided under such section;
            ``(3) the length of time families receive such assistance 
        under such section and the reasons families cease to receive 
        such assistance;
            ``(4) the employment patterns of families receive such 
        assistance under such section and the effect receiving such 
        assistance has on current or subsequent employment; and
            ``(5) the costs and benefits of such assistance.''.
    (f) Amounts Reserved; Allotments.--Section 658O of the Child Care 
and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858m) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1) by striking ``this 
                subchapter'' and inserting ``section 658B(a)'', and
                    (B) in paragraph (2) by striking ``658B'' and 
                inserting ``658B(a)'', and
            (2) in subsection (e)(3) by inserting ``(other than section 
        658H)'' after ``subchapter''.
    (g) Definitions.--Section 658P of the Child Care and Development 
Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n) is amended--
            (1) by inserting after paragraph (5) the following:
            ``(5A) Eligible infant.--The term `eligible infant' means 
        an eligible child who--
                    ``(A) is less than 2 years of age; and
                    ``(B) whose family income does not exceed 85 
                percent of the State median income for a family of the 
                same size.'', and
            (2) in paragraph (8) by striking ``658B(a)'' and inserting 
        ``658D(a)''.
    (h) Miscellaneous Provisions.--Section 658S of the Child Care and 
Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858q) is amended by 
inserting ``(including financial assistance provided under section 
658H)'' after ``subchapter''.

SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

    Section 418(c) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 618(c)) is 
amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(excluding section 658H)'' after ``such 
        Act'' the 1st place it appears, and
            (2) by inserting ``(excluding the requirements and 
        limitations applicable to assistance provided under section 
        658H)'' after ``such Act'' the 2d place it appears.
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