[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2182 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2182

  To establish a program to provide child care through public-private 
                             partnerships.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 8, 2012

  Mr. Begich introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish a program to provide child care through public-private 
                             partnerships.

    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 ``Child Care Public-Private 
Partnership Act of 2012''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF BUSINESS INCENTIVE GRANT PROGRAM.

    The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish a 
program to make grants to--
            (1) States, on a competitive basis, to enable eligible 
        businesses and consortia in the States to carry out the 
        activities described in section 4; and
            (2) nonprofit business organizations with expertise in 
        management issues concerning operating a high-quality child 
        care center, to provide technical information and assistance to 
        enable businesses to provide child care services.

SEC. 3. APPLICATIONS FROM STATES AND NONPROFIT BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS.

    (a) In General.--To be eligible to receive a grant under section 2, 
a State or nonprofit business organization shall submit an application 
to the Secretary at such time, in such form, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require.
    (b) Contents.--At a minimum, an application submitted under 
subsection (a) by a nonprofit business organization shall contain--
            (1) an assurance that, with respect to the costs to be 
        incurred by the applicant in carrying out the purposes for 
        which the grant is made, the applicant will make available 
        State or other non-Federal early childhood contributions (such 
        as contributions for child care, Head Start, State 
        prekindergarten, and early intervention programs), in an amount 
        equal to not less than $1 for every $1 of Federal funds 
        provided under the grant;
            (2) an assurance that such applicant will expend the grant 
        funds for the use specified in section 2(2);
            (3) an assurance that such applicant will employ strategies 
        to ensure that child care services, provided with the technical 
        information and assistance made available by such applicant, 
        are provided at affordable costs, and on an equitable basis, to 
        low- and moderate-income employees;
            (4) an assurance that such applicant will employ procedures 
        to ensure that technical information and assistance provided 
        under this Act by such applicant will be provided only to 
        businesses that provide child care services in compliance with 
        all State and local licensing and regulatory requirements 
        applicable to child care providers in such State; and
            (5) an assurance that such applicant will employ procedures 
        to ensure such information and assistance will be provided only 
        to businesses located in an area without an adequate supply of 
        licensed and regulated (as applicable) child care providers.
    (c) Priority.--For purposes of selecting applicants to receive 
grants under section 2, to the extent practicable, the Secretary 
shall--
            (1) make grants equitably under section 2 to applicants 
        located in all geographical regions of the United States; and
            (2) give priority to applicants for grants under section 
        2(1).

SEC. 4. GRANTS TO BUSINESSES AND CONSORTIA.

    A State that receives a grant under section 2 shall use the grant 
funds to make grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible businesses or 
consortia in the State in order to enable the businesses and 
consortia--
            (1) to pay start-up costs incurred to provide child care 
        services;
            (2) to provide for assistance for the costs of child care 
        services needed by the employees of such businesses and 
        consortia; and
            (3) to pay for training and professional development for 
        staff that provide child care services.

SEC. 5. APPLICATIONS FROM BUSINESSES AND CONSORTIA.

    (a) In General.--To be eligible to receive a grant under section 4, 
a business or consortium shall submit an application to the State at 
such time, in such form, and containing such information as the State 
may require.
    (b) Contents.--At a minimum, such application shall contain--
            (1) an assurance that, with respect to the costs to be 
        incurred by the applicant in carrying out the purposes for 
        which the grant is made, the applicant will make available 
        State or other non-Federal early childhood contributions (such 
        as contributions for child care, Head Start, State 
        prekindergarten, and early intervention programs), in an amount 
        equal to not less than $1 for every $1 of Federal funds 
        provided under the grant;
            (2) an assurance that such applicant will expend the grant 
        funds for the use specified in section 2(1);
            (3) an assurance that such applicant will employ strategies 
        to ensure that child care services, provided by such applicant, 
        are provided at affordable costs, and on an equitable basis, to 
        low- and moderate-income employees;
            (4) an assurance that such applicant will comply with all 
        State and local child care licensing and regulatory 
        requirements that are applicable to the applicant; and
            (5) information demonstrating that the applicant is located 
        in an area without an adequate supply of licensed and regulated 
        (as applicable) child care providers.
    (c) Priority.--For purposes of selecting applicants to receive 
grants under section 4, the State shall give priority to businesses 
that have fewer than 100 full-time employees.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    As used in this Act:
            (1) Business.--The term ``business'' means a person engaged 
        in commerce whose primary activity is an activity other than 
        the provision of child care services.
            (2) Child care services.--The term ``child care services'' 
        means care for a child that is--
                    (A) provided on the site at which a parent of such 
                child is employed or at a site nearby in the community 
                in which the site is located; and
                    (B) subsidized at least in part by the business 
                that employs such parent.
            (3) Consortium.--The term ``consortium'' means a 
        partnership--
                    (A) that shall include 2 or more businesses, acting 
                jointly; and
                    (B) shall include a nonprofit private organization 
                with expertise in the provision of high-quality child 
                care services.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Health and Human Services.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2013 through 2015.
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