[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 158 (Thursday, September 29, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S5769]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 6251. Mrs. MURRAY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
to amendment SA 5499 submitted by Mr. Reed (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) 
and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 7900, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2023 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense 
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel 
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the end of subtitle D of title VI, add the following:

     SEC. 632. PAY FOR DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND COAST GUARD CHILD 
                   CARE PROVIDERS: STUDIES; ADJUSTMENT.

       (a) Department of Defense Child Care Employee Compensation 
     Review.--
       (1) Review required.--The Secretary of Defense shall, for 
     each geographic area in which the Secretary of a military 
     department operates a military child development center, 
     conduct a study--
       (A) comparing the total compensation, including all pay and 
     benefits, of child care employees of each military child 
     development center in the geographic area to the total 
     compensation of similarly credentialed employees of public 
     elementary schools in such geographic area; and
       (B) estimating the difference in average pay and the 
     difference in average benefits between such child care 
     employees and such employees of public elementary schools.
       (2) Schedule.--The Secretary of Defense shall complete the 
     studies required under paragraph (1)--
       (A) for the geographic areas containing the military 
     installations with the 25 longest wait lists for child care 
     services at military child development centers, not later 
     than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act; 
     and
       (B) for geographic areas other than geographic areas 
     described in subparagraph (A), not later than two years after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (3) Reports.--
       (A) Interim report.--Not later than one year after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
     submit to the congressional defense committees and the Coast 
     Guard committees a report summarizing the results of the 
     studies required under paragraph (1) that have been completed 
     as of the date of the submission of such report.
       (B) Final report.--Not later than 120 days after the 
     completion of all the studies required under paragraph (1), 
     the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense 
     committees and the Coast Guard committees a report 
     summarizing the results of such studies.
       (b) Coast Guard Child Development Center Employee 
     Compensation Review.--
       (1) Review required.--The Secretary of Homeland Security 
     shall, for each geographic area in which the Secretary 
     operates a Coast Guard child development center, conduct a 
     study--
       (A) comparing the total compensation (including all pay and 
     benefits) of child development center employees of each Coast 
     Guard child development center in such geographic area, to 
     the total compensation of similarly credentialed employees of 
     public elementary schools in such geographic area; and
       (B) estimating the difference in average pay and the 
     difference in average benefits between such child development 
     center employees and such employees of public elementary 
     schools.
       (2) Schedule.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
     complete the studies required under paragraph (1)--
       (A) for the geographic areas containing the Coast Guard 
     installations with the 10 longest wait lists for child 
     development services at Coast Guard child development 
     centers, not later than one year after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act; and
       (B) for geographic areas other than geographic areas 
     described in subparagraph (A), not later than two years after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (3) Reports.--
       (A) Interim report.--Not later than one year after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland 
     Security shall submit to the Coast Guard committees and the 
     congressional defense committees a report summarizing the 
     results of the respective studies required under paragraph 
     (1) that the Secretary has completed as of the date of the 
     submission of such report.
       (B) Final report.--Not later than 120 days after the 
     completion of all respective studies required under paragraph 
     (1), the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to the 
     Coast Guard committees and the congressional defense 
     committees a report summarizing the results of such studies.
       (c) Compensation Adjustment.--
       (1) In general.--
       (A) Department of defense.--Not later than 90 days after 
     the date on which the Secretary of Defense completes the 
     study for a geographic area under subsection (a), the 
     Secretary of each military department that operates a 
     military child development center in such geographic area 
     shall ensure that the dollar value of the total compensation, 
     including the pay and benefits, of child care employees is 
     not less than the average dollar value of the total 
     compensation of similarly credentialed employees of public 
     elementary schools in such geographic area.
       (B) Coast guard.--Not later than 90 days after the date on 
     which the Secretary of Homeland Security completes the study 
     for a geographic area under subsection (b), the Commandant of 
     the Coast Guard shall ensure that the dollar value of the 
     total compensation, including the pay and benefits, of child 
     development center employees in such geographic area is not 
     less than the average dollar value of the total compensation 
     of similarly credentialed employees of public elementary 
     schools in such geographic area.
       (2) Adjustment limit.--No child care employee or child 
     development center employee may have his or her pay or 
     benefits decreased pursuant to paragraph (1).
       (3) Reports.--
       (A) Department of defense.--Not later than one year after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually 
     thereafter for five years, each Secretary of a military 
     department shall submit to the congressional defense 
     committees and the Coast Guard committees a report detailing 
     the effects of changes in the total compensation under this 
     subsection, including the effects on the hiring and retention 
     of child care employees and on the number of children for 
     which military child development centers provide child care 
     services.
       (B) Coast guard.--Not later than one year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for five 
     years, the Commandant of the Coast Guard shall submit to the 
     Coast Guard committees and the congressional defense 
     committees a report detailing the effects of changes in the 
     total compensation under this subsection, including the 
     effects on the hiring and retention of child development 
     center employees and on the number of children for which 
     Coast Guard child development centers provide child 
     development services.
       (d) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) The term ``benefits'' includes--
       (A) retirement benefits;
       (B) any insurance premiums paid by an employer;
       (C) education benefits, including tuition reimbursement and 
     student loan repayment; and
       (D) any other compensation an employer provides to an 
     employee for service performed as an employee (other than 
     pay), as determined appropriate by the Secretary of Defense 
     or Secretary of Homeland Security, as applicable.
       (2) The terms ``child care employee'' and ``military child 
     development center'' have the meanings given such terms in 
     section 1800 of title 10, United States Code.
       (3) The terms ``child development center employee'' and 
     ``Coast Guard child development center'' have the meanings 
     given such terms in section 2921 of title 14, United States 
     Code.
       (4) The term ``Coast Guard committees'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
     of the Senate;
       (B) the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of 
     the House of Representatives; and
       (C) the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and the 
     House of Representatives.
       (5) The term ``elementary school'' means a day or 
     residential school which provides elementary education, as 
     determined under State law.
       (6) The term ``pay'' includes the basic rate of pay of an 
     employee and any additional payments an employer pays to an 
     employee for service performed as an employee.
                                 ______