[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2722 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2722

 To establish a grant pilot program to provide child care services for 
the minor children of law enforcement officers to accommodate the shift 
     work and abnormal work hours of such officers, and to enhance 
              recruitment and retention of such officers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 19, 2023

Mr. Peters (for himself, Mr. Valadao, Mr. Harder of California, and Mr. 
    Issa) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
    Committee on the Judiciary, 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 establish a grant pilot program to provide child care services for 
the minor children of law enforcement officers to accommodate the shift 
     work and abnormal work hours of such officers, and to enhance 
              recruitment and retention of such officers.

    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 ``Providing Child Care for Police 
Officers Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. CHILD CARE GRANT PROGRAM TO SUPPORT LAW ENFORCEMENT.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
shall establish a program to award grants to States, on a competitive 
basis, to assist States in providing funds to encourage the 
establishment and operation of child care programs to obtain child care 
services for the minor children of law enforcement officers during the 
shift work and abnormal work hours of such officers.
    (b) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, a State shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an 
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require, including an assurance that 
the funds required under subsection (e) will be provided.
    (c) Period of Grant.--The Secretary shall make the grant for a 
period of 3 years.
    (d) Set-Aside.--Of the amount appropriated to carry out this Act 
for a fiscal year, not less than 20 percent shall be used to make 
grants to eligible units of State and local government that employ 
fewer than 200 full-time law enforcement officers.
    (e) Use of Funds.--
            (1) In general.--A State shall use amounts provided under a 
        grant awarded under this section to provide assistance to law 
        enforcement agencies (or consortia formed in accordance with 
        paragraph (3)) located in the State to enable the small 
        businesses (or consortia) to establish and operate child care 
        programs. Such assistance may include--
                    (A) technical assistance in the establishment of a 
                child care program;
                    (B) assistance for the startup costs related to a 
                child care program;
                    (C) assistance for the training of child care 
                providers;
                    (D) scholarships for families;
                    (E) the provision of services to care for sick 
                children or to provide care to school-aged children;
                    (F) the entering into of contracts with local 
                resource and referral organizations or local health 
                departments;
                    (G) assistance for care for children with 
                disabilities;
                    (H) assistance to maintain nonstandard hours for 
                expanded hours of child care;
                    (I) payment of expenses for construction, 
                renovation or operation of a child care facility, 
                notwithstanding section 658F(b) of the CCDBG Act; or
                    (J) assistance for any other relevant activity 
                determined appropriate by the State.
            (2) Application.--In order for a law enforcement agency or 
        consortium to be eligible to receive assistance from a State 
        under this section, the law enforcement agency or unit of local 
        government involved shall prepare and submit to the State an 
        application at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
        information as the State may require.
            (4) Limitations.--With respect to grant funds received 
        under this section, a State may not provide in excess of 
        $3,000,000 in assistance from such funds to any single 
        applicant.
    (f) Matching Requirement.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
this section, a State shall provide assurances to the Secretary that, 
with respect to the costs to be incurred by a covered entity receiving 
assistance in carrying out activities under this section, the covered 
entity will make available (directly or through donations from public 
or private entities) non-Federal contributions to such costs in an 
amount equal to--
            (1) for the first fiscal year in which the covered entity 
        receives such assistance, not less than 10 percent of such 
        costs;
            (2) for the second fiscal year in which the covered entity 
        receives such assistance, not less than 25 percent of such 
        costs; and
            (3) for the third fiscal year in which the covered entity 
        receives such assistance, not less than 33\2/3\ percent of such 
        costs.
    (g) Requirements of Providers.--To be eligible to receive 
assistance under a grant awarded under this section, a child care 
provider--
            (1) who receives assistance from a State shall comply with 
        all applicable State and local licensing and regulatory 
        requirements and all applicable health and safety standards in 
        effect in the State; and
            (2) who receives assistance from an Indian tribe or tribal 
        organization shall comply with all applicable regulatory 
        standards.
    (h) Administration.--
            (1) State responsibility.--A State shall have 
        responsibility for administering a grant awarded for the State 
        under this section and for monitoring covered entities that 
        receive assistance under such grant.
            (2) Audits.--A State shall require each covered entity 
        receiving assistance under the grant awarded under this section 
        to conduct an annual audit with respect to the activities of 
        the covered entity. Such audits shall be submitted to the 
        State.
            (3) Misuse of funds.--
                    (A) Repayment.--If the State determines, through an 
                audit or otherwise, that a covered entity receiving 
                assistance under a grant awarded under this section has 
                misused the assistance, the State shall notify the 
                Secretary of the misuse. The Secretary, upon such a 
                notification, may seek from such a covered entity the 
                repayment of an amount equal to the amount of any such 
                misused assistance plus interest.
                    (B) Appeals process.--The Secretary shall by 
                regulation provide for an appeals process with respect 
                to repayments under this paragraph.
    (i) Reporting Requirements.--
            (1) 2-year study.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the 
                date on which the Secretary first awards grants under 
                this section, the Secretary shall conduct a study to 
                determine--
                            (i) the capacity of covered entities to 
                        meet the child care needs of communities within 
                        States;
                            (ii) the kinds of consortia that are being 
                        formed with respect to child care at the local 
                        level to carry out programs funded under this 
                        section; and
                            (iii) who is using the programs funded 
                        under this section and the income levels of 
                        such individuals.
                    (B) Report.--Not later than 28 months after the 
                date on which the Secretary first awards grants under 
                this section, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to 
                the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the 
                results of the study conducted in accordance with 
                subparagraph (A).
            (2) 4-year study.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 4 years after the 
                date on which the Secretary first awards grants under 
                this section, the Secretary shall conduct a study to 
                determine the number of child care facilities that are 
                funded through covered entities that received 
                assistance through a grant awarded under this section 
                and that remain in operation, and the extent to which 
                such facilities are meeting the child care needs of the 
                individuals served by such facilities.
                    (B) Report.--Not later than 52 months after the 
                date on which the Secretary first awards grants under 
                this section, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to 
                the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the 
                results of the study conducted in accordance with 
                subparagraph (A).
    (j) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Career law enforcement officer.--The term ``career law 
        enforcement officer'' means a person employed by a State or 
        local public agency on a permanent basis who is authorized by 
        law to engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, or 
        investigation of violations of criminal laws.
            (2) Consortia.--The term ``consortia'' means a law 
        enforcement agency and may also include a unit of local 
        government, a child care provider, or a foundation.
            (3) Covered entity.--The term ``covered entity'' means a 
        law enforcement agency or a consortium formed in accordance 
        with subsection (d)(3).
            (4) Indian community.--The term ``Indian community'' means 
        a community served by an Indian tribe or tribal organization.
            (5) Indian tribe; tribal organization.--The terms ``Indian 
        tribe'' and ``tribal organization'' have the meanings given the 
        terms in section 658P of the Child Care and Development Block 
        Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n).
            (6) Law enforcement agency.--The term ``law enforcement 
        agency'' has the meaning given such term in section 2503 of the 
        Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 
        10533).
            (7) State.--The term ``State'' 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).
    (k) Application to Indian Tribes and Tribal Organizations.--In this 
section:
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in subsection (f)(1), 
        and in paragraphs (2) and (3), the term ``State'' includes an 
        Indian tribe or tribal organization.
            (2) Geographic references.--The term ``State'' includes an 
        Indian community in subsections (c) (the second and third place 
        the term appears), (d)(1) (the second place the term appears), 
        (d)(3)(A) (the second place the term appears), and 
        (i)(1)(A)(i).
            (3) State-level activities.--The term ``State-level 
        activities'' includes activities at the tribal level.
    (l) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
        carry out this section, $24,000,000 for each of the fiscal 
        years 2024 to 2028.
            (2) Studies and administration.--With respect to the total 
        amount appropriated for such period in accordance with this 
        subsection, not more than $2,500,000 of that amount may be used 
        for expenditures related to conducting studies required under, 
        and the administration of, this section.
    (m) Termination of Program.--The program established under 
subsection (a) shall terminate on September 30, 2028.
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