[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4781 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4781

  To remove barriers to health professions by providing resources to 
  access foundational educational training, such as English language 
proficiency and adult basic education, and to require the provision of 
     child care, in demonstration projects funded under the health 
 profession opportunity grant program under section 2008 of the Social 
                             Security Act.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 20, 2023

   Ms. Chu introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To remove barriers to health professions by providing resources to 
  access foundational educational training, such as English language 
proficiency and adult basic education, and to require the provision of 
     child care, in demonstration projects funded under the health 
 profession opportunity grant program under section 2008 of the Social 
                             Security Act.

    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 ``Essential Skills and Child Care for 
Health Professions Act''.

SEC. 2. PROVISION OF FOUNDATIONAL EDUCATIONAL TRAINING AND CHILD CARE.

    Section 2008 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397g) is 
amended by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections (d) and 
(e), respectively, and by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
    ``(c) Provision of Foundational Educational Training and Child 
Care.--
            ``(1) Required support.--A demonstration project for which 
        a grant is made under this section shall include the following:
                    ``(A) An assessment for adult basic skill 
                competency, and provision of adult basic skills 
                education if necessary for lower-skilled eligible 
                individuals to enroll in the project and go on to enter 
                and complete post-secondary training, through means 
                including the following:
                            ``(i) Establishing a network of partners 
                        that offer pre-training activities for project 
                        participants who need to improve basic academic 
                        skills or English language proficiency before 
                        entering a health occupational training career 
                        pathway program.
                            ``(ii) Offering resources to enable project 
                        participants to continue advancing adult basic 
                        skill proficiency while enrolled in a career 
                        pathway program.
                            ``(iii) Embedding adult basic skill 
                        maintenance as part of ongoing post-graduation 
                        career coaching and mentoring.
                    ``(B) A guarantee that child care is an available 
                and affordable support service for project participants 
                through means such as the following:
                            ``(i) Referral to, and assistance with, 
                        enrollment in a subsidized child care program.
                            ``(ii) Direct payment to a child care 
                        provider if a slot in a subsidized child care 
                        program is not available or reasonably 
                        accessible.
                            ``(iii) Payment of co-payments or 
                        associated fees for child care.
            ``(2) Allowed support.--The goods and services provided 
        under a demonstration project for which a grant is made under 
        this section may include assistance with accessing and 
        completing high school equivalency or adult basic education 
        courses as necessary to achieve success in the project and make 
        progress toward career goals.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall take effect on October 1, 
2023.
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