[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 8 (Tuesday, February 1, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S743-S744]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ROBERTS:
  S. 233. A bill to increase the supply of quality child care; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, I am pleased and honored today to 
introduce the ``Caring for Children Act''--a bill designed to help meet 
the child care challenges facing families, child care providers and 
small businesses around the Nation.
  Child care, in the home when possible and outside the home when both 
parents work, goes right to the heart of keeping families strong. 
Unfortunately, finding quality, affordable child care is one of the 
most pressing problems for families in Kansas and around the country. 
It is estimated that quality child care can cost as much or more than 
college tuition in some areas.
  The ``Caring for Children Act'' takes the first steps in addressing 
this challenge through a responsible approach. This legislation expands 
child care opportunities without unnecessary government intervention or 
mandates. This legislation will help working families who want quality 
child care for their children, child care providers who aim to provide 
the highest quality of care, and small businesses who currently may not 
have the resources to provide child care for their employees.
  The ``Caring for Children Act'' recognizes that small businesses play 
a critical role in providing child care options to millions of working 
parents. Unfortunately, small businesses generally do not have the 
resources required to start up and support a child care center. This 
legislation includes a short-term, flexible grant program to encourage 
small businesses to work together or with established local child care 
organizations to provide child care services for employees. This 
program is more of a demonstration project that will sunset at the end 
of five years. In the meantime, small businesses will be eligible for 
grants up to $250,000 for start-up costs, training, scholarships, or 
other related activities. Businesses, however, will be required to 
match Federal funds to encourage self-sustaining facilities well into 
the future. Business must continue to meet State quality and health 
standards. In essence, this grant program takes the necessary steps to 
ensuring small businesses and other local organizations are able to 
work together to provide child care for employees.
  The ``Caring for Children Act'' also addresses another key component 
of quality child care: child care training. My bill creates a new grant 
program to allow organizations to develop and operate distance learning 
child care training infrastructures and to develop model technology-
based training courses for child care providers. These infrastructures 
and courses will enable child care providers to receive the training, 
education and support they need to improve the quality of child care. 
The ``Caring for Children Act'' encourages grantees to work with 
secondary schools, institutions of higher education, state and local 
governments, and child care organizations to promote networking, 
information sharing, and resource sharing. These grants will be 
targeted to those areas with the fewest training opportunities for 
child care providers.
  Child care is an issue that impacts each and every one of us. While 
parents continue to struggle to meet the constant demand of work and 
family, we must continue to do our part to expand child care options 
and protect our nation's most valuable resource, our children. I look 
forward to working with all of my colleagues in this important effort.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 233

       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 ``Caring for Children Act''.

         TITLE I--CHILD CARE TRAINING THROUGH DISTANCE LEARNING

     SEC. 101. GRANTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CHILD CARE TRAINING 
                   INFRASTRUCTURE.

       (a) Authority to Award Grants.--The Secretary of Health and 
     Human Services shall award grants to eligible entities to 
     develop distance learning child care training technology 
     infrastructures and to develop model technology-based 
     training courses for child care providers and child care 
     workers, to be provided through distance learning programs 
     made available through the infrastructure. The Secretary 
     shall, to the maximum extent possible, ensure that such 
     grants are awarded in those regions of the United States with 
     the fewest training opportunities for child care providers.
       (b) Eligibility Requirements.--To be eligible to receive a 
     grant under subsection (a), an entity shall--
       (1) develop the technological and logistical aspects of the 
     infrastructure described in this section and have the 
     capability of implementing and maintaining the 
     infrastructure;
       (2) to the maximum extent possible, develop partnerships 
     with secondary schools, institutions of higher education, 
     State and local government agencies, and private child care 
     organizations for the purpose of sharing equipment, technical 
     assistance, and other technological resources, including--
       (A) developing sites from which individuals may access the 
     training;
       (B) converting standard child care training courses to 
     programs for distance learning; and
       (C) promoting ongoing networking among program 
     participants; and
       (3) develop a mechanism for participants to--
       (A) evaluate the effectiveness of the infrastructure, 
     including the availability and affordability of the 
     infrastructure, and the training offered through the 
     infrastructure; and
       (B) make recommendations for improvements to the 
     infrastructure.
       (c) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
     subsection (a), an entity shall submit an application to the 
     Secretary at such time and in such manner as the Secretary 
     may require, and that includes--
       (1) a description of the partnership organizations through 
     which the distance learning programs will be made available;
       (2) the capacity of the infrastructure in terms of the 
     number and type of distance learning programs that will be 
     made available;
       (3) the expected number of individuals to participate in 
     the distance learning programs; and
       (4) such additional information as the Secretary may 
     require.
       (d) Limitation on Fees.--No entity receiving a grant under 
     this section may collect fees from an individual for 
     participation in a distance learning program funded in whole 
     or in part under this section that exceed the pro rata share 
     of the amount expended by the entity to provide materials for 
     the program and to develop, implement, and maintain the 
     infrastructure (minus the amount of the grant awarded under 
     this section).
       (e) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
     construed as requiring a child care provider to subscribe to 
     or complete a distance learning program made available under 
     this section.

     SEC. 102. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
     title $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2010.

TITLE II--REMOVAL OF BARRIERS TO INCREASING THE SUPPLY OF QUALITY CHILD 
                                  CARE

     SEC. 201. SMALL BUSINESS CHILD CARE GRANT PROGRAM.

       (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
     Services (referred to in this section as the ``Secretary'') 
     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 employer 
     operated child care programs.
       (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) Amount of Grant.--The Secretary shall determine the 
     amount of a grant to a State under this section based on the 
     population of the State as compared to the population of all 
     States receiving grants under this section.
       (d) Use of Funds.--
       (1) In general.--A State shall use amounts provided under a 
     grant awarded under this section to provide assistance to 
     small businesses located in the State to enable the small 
     businesses 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 low-income wage earners;
       (E) the provision of services to care for sick children or 
     to provide care to school aged children;

[[Page S744]]

       (F) the entering into of contracts with local resource and 
     referral or local health departments;
       (G) assistance for care for children with disabilities; or
       (H) assistance for any other activity determined 
     appropriate by the State.
       (2) Application.--To be eligible to receive assistance from 
     a State under this section, a small business shall prepare 
     and submit to the State an application at such time, in such 
     manner, and containing such information as the State may 
     require.
       (3) Preference.--
       (A) In general.--In providing assistance under this 
     section, a State shall give priority to applicants that 
     desire to form a consortium to provide child care in a 
     geographic area within the State where such care is not 
     generally available or accessible.
       (B) Consortium.--For purposes of subparagraph (A), a 
     consortium shall be made up of 2 or more entities that may 
     include businesses, nonprofit agencies or organizations, 
     local governments, or other appropriate entities.
       (4) Limitation.--With respect to grant funds received under 
     this section, a State may not provide in excess of $250,000 
     in assistance from such funds to any single applicant.
       (e) 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 an entity receiving assistance in carrying out activities 
     under this section, the 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 entity receives 
     such assistance, not less than 50 percent of such costs ($1 
     for each $1 of assistance provided to the entity under the 
     grant);
       (2) for the second fiscal year in which the entity receives 
     such assistance, not less than 66\2/3\ percent of such costs 
     ($2 for each $1 of assistance provided to the entity under 
     the grant); and
       (3) for the third fiscal year in which the entity receives 
     such assistance, not less than 75 percent of such costs ($3 
     for each $1 of assistance provided to the entity under the 
     grant).
       (f) Requirements of Providers.--To be eligible to receive 
     assistance under a grant awarded under this section a child 
     care provider shall comply with all applicable State and 
     local licensing and regulatory requirements and all 
     applicable health and safety standards in effect in the 
     State.
       (g) State-level Activities.--A State may not retain more 
     than 3 percent of funds for State administration and other 
     State-level activities.
       (h) Administration.--
       (1) State responsibility.--A State shall have 
     responsibility for administering a grant awarded for the 
     State under this section and for monitoring entities that 
     receive assistance under such grant.
       (2) Audits.--A State shall require each entity receiving 
     assistance under the grant awarded under this section to 
     conduct an annual audit with respect to the activities of the 
     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 an 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 an 
     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 entities to meet the child care needs 
     of communities within States;
       (ii) the kinds of partnerships 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 funded through entities that 
     received assistance through a grant awarded under this 
     section 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) Definition.--In this section, the term ``small 
     business'' means an employer who employed an average of at 
     least 2 but not more than 50 employees on business days 
     during the preceding calendar year.
       (k) Authorization of Appropriations.--
       (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
     carry out this section, $50,000,000 for the period of fiscal 
     years 2006 through 2010.
       (2) Evaluations 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 evaluations 
     required under, and the administration of, this section.
       (l) Termination of Program.--The program established under 
     subsection (a) shall terminate on September 30, 2011.
                                 ______