[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 135 (Friday, September 19, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1452]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT ACT OF 2014

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. SUZANNE BONAMICI

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 15, 2014

  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1086, the Child 
Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014. I would like to thank 
Chairman Kline and Ranking Member Miller for their work on this 
important legislation.
   The Child Care and Development Block Grant program is an investment 
in our future. We know that quality care can set children up for 
academic success, and helping families cover the costs of child care 
enables parents to keep working or train for new careers.
   S. 1086 sets new requirements to strengthen child care quality. 
These requirements, which include background checks for federally-
funded providers and yearly safety inspections for non-licensed 
providers, represent commonsense measures to protect children.
   The bill also takes several steps to improve access to child care 
services. It will give families certainty that their children can 
receive care for a full year, even if their income--and thus their 
eligibility--changes. And the bill will help providers budget for their 
businesses by making sure unpredictable child absences don't affect 
their funding.
   Although I am pleased that the bill authorizes increased 
appropriations for the Child Care and Development Block Grant program, 
far too many eligible families will continue to go unserved. Supporting 
safe, high quality child care requires resources, and I hope my 
colleagues will join me in continuing to call for increased funding for 
the Child Care and Development Block Grant program.

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