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[Senate Report 113-138]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                                                       Calendar No. 309
113th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session                                                     113-138

======================================================================

 
              CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT ACT 
                                OF 2014

                                _______
                                

               February 25, 2014.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

    Mr. Harkin, from the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
                   Pensions, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 1086]

    The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, to 
which was referred the bill (S.1086) to amend the Child Care 
and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to reauthorize and 
improve the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, 
and for other purposes, having considered the same, reports 
favorably thereon with an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute and recommends that the bill (as amended) do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
  I. Purpose and Summary..............................................1
 II. Background of Legislation........................................2
III. Legislative History and Committee Consideration..................2
 IV. Explanation of Legislation and Committee Views...................5
  V. Cost Estimate...................................................15
 VI. Application of Law to the Legislative Branch....................15
VII. Regulatory Impact Statement.....................................15
VIII.Section-by-Section Analysis.....................................15

 IX. Changes in Existing Law.........................................25

                         I. Purpose and Summary

    The purpose of S.1086, the Child Care and Development Block 
Grant Act of 2014, is to renew, improve, and strengthen the 
Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990. This Act is 
designed to maintain State flexibility, promote the healthy 
development of children, and protect the ability of parents and 
families to choose the child care arrangement that best meets 
their needs and those of their children.

                     II. Background of Legislation

    The current system of child care assistance, which is 
supported by Federal, State, and local funds, is largely a 
result of Federal legislative activity over the last 25 years. 
In 1988, the Family Support Act, legislation reforming the Aid 
to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, for the 
first time provided a child care entitlement for families on 
welfare. Originated by the Senate Committee on Finance, the 
Family Support Act created a child care entitlement for AFDC 
parents who were working, enrolled in job training or in an 
educational program, and for parents needing transitional child 
care assistance for 12 months after leaving welfare 
(Transitional Child Care or TCC).
    In 1990, two more child care programs were created: the 
Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program under 
the jurisdiction of the Senate Labor Committee (now renamed the 
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions), 
and the Title IV-A At Risk Child Care program under the 
jurisdiction of the Senate Committee on Finance. Both of these 
programs were designed to help low-income working families and 
CCDBG was designed to improve the quality of child care as 
well. Unlike the Family Support Act child care programs, these 
two new programs were block grants to the States (not 
individual entitlements) and were not designed to assist 
welfare families.
    In 1996, the four Federal child care programs (the AFDC 
child care entitlement, the Transitional Child Care 
entitlement, the IV-A At Risk child care program, and the Child 
Care and Development Block Grant) were consolidated under the 
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act 
(PRWORA). The Act eliminated the entitlement to child care 
assistance for parents receiving welfare and for those 
transitioning from welfare to work. The three Finance Committee 
programs were consolidated into one funding stream, henceforth 
referred to as mandatory funding. Funding for the Child Care 
and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) remained under the 
jurisdiction of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions (HELP) Committee and was retained as a discretionary 
program.

          III. Legislative History and Committee Consideration

                                HEARINGS

    During the 112th Congress, the Subcommittee on Children and 
Families of the HELP Committee held three hearings on issues 
related to early childhood education or child care. The 
hearings offered many opportunities for the members of the 
committee to hear from child care providers, parents, 
beneficiaries of high-quality early education and care, and 
other key stakeholders on critical issues related to child 
care. A brief description of each hearing, including witnesses, 
follows.
Getting the Most Bang for the Buck: Quality Early Education and Care 
        (06/09/2011)
    This hearing highlighted the vast evidence and research 
indicating that access to high-quality early childhood 
education programs can have a dramatic, positive impact on the 
lives of young children. Witnesses included:

                                Panel I

    Joan Lombardi, Ph.D., Deputy Assistant Secretary and Inter-
Departmental Liaison for Early Childhood Development, 
Administration for Children & Families, U.S. Department of 
Health and Human Services (Washington, DC), who discussed 
President Obama's proposed initiatives to improve the quality 
of Federal early childhood programs including the Head Start 
program and the Child Care and Development Block Grant.

                                Panel II

    Dennis Hillian, family service coordinator, The Charles 
County Judy Center (Waldorf, MD), who described the Judy 
Centers that operate in the State of Maryland, which are 
programs collocated or nearby title I elementary schools to 
provide high-quality, comprehensive services to preschool-aged 
children.
    Linda K. Smith, executive director, National Association of 
Child Care Resources & Referral Agencies (Arlington, VA), who 
advocated for reforms in CCDBG similar to those taken by the 
military through the Military Child Care Assistance Act passed 
in 1989.
    Arthur J. Rolnick, senior fellow and co-director of the 
Human Capital Research Collaborative, Humphrey School of Public 
Affairs, the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (Minneapolis, 
MN), who spoke to the strong evidence and research base behind 
investing in high-quality early learning programs.
    Eva Tansky Blum, senior vice president and director of 
Community Affairs, PNC Bank (Pittsburgh, PA), who highlighted 
the role that private industry could play in advancing the 
growth of early childhood education programs.
    Charlie Mills, III, founder and chief executive officer, 
Salera Capital Management (Potomac Falls, VA), who described 
his positive experiences in Head Start and how such experiences 
contributed significantly to his development throughout 
childhood and successes later in life.
Examining Quality and Safety in Child Care: Giving Working Families 
        Security, Confidence, and Peace of Mind (09/08/2011)
    Eric Karolak, Ph.D., executive director, Early Care and 
Education Consortium (Washington, DC), who represented the 
interests of private child care providers to advance 
recommendations to improve the health and safety conditions in 
federally subsidized child care.
    Donna Bryant, Ph.D., senior scientist, University of North 
Carolina FPG Child Development Institute (Chapel Hill, NC), who 
urged members of the committee to make high-quality care a part 
of the foundation of the child care program, particularly by 
making a concerted effort to improve the child care workforce 
by supporting increased training opportunities, mentorship, 
professional development, and programs to support educational 
attainment.
    Charlotte Brantley, president & chief executive officer, 
Clayton Early Learning (Denver, CO), who described the role 
that community-based providers play in providing access to 
high-quality care for young children using CCDBG, Head Start, 
and local preschool funding.
CCDBG Reauthorization: Helping to Meet the Child Care Needs of American 
        Families (07/26/2012)

                                Panel I

    Linda K. Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary and Inter-
Departmental Liaison for Early Childhood Development, 
Administration for Children & Families, U.S. Department of 
Health and Human Services (Washington, DC), who described the 
Obama administration's principles for reauthorization, 
including: improving quality; supporting increased access; 
facilitating informed parental and family choice; promoting 
continuity of care for children and families who benefit from 
CCDBG; and ensuring program integrity.

                                Panel II

    Janet Singerman, president, Child Care Resources, Inc. 
(Charlotte, NC), who spoke of the numerous initiatives 
undertaken in North Carolina to improve the quality of care for 
children and families including Smart Start--a nationally 
recognized initiative to improve the school readiness of 
children by addressing early care and education, family support 
and child health issues.
    Rolf Grafwallner, Ph.D., Asst. State Supt., Early Childhood 
Development, Maryland State Dept. of Education (Baltimore, MD), 
who described how States could improve service delivery by 
focusing on workforce improvements and pursuing other 
initiatives to better subsidize early care and education 
through mechanisms such as better integrating CCDBG with 
existing Federal early learning programs to provide greater 
access to subsidized care for young children.
    Philip Acord, executive director, Children's Home 
(Chattanooga, TN), who explained how the emergence of the child 
care subsidy changed the way that child care operators provided 
services to children in Chattanooga and throughout Tennessee 
and recommended reforms to CCDBG, including requiring re-
determinations for eligibility on an annual basis.
    Susana Coro, assistant teacher, Falls Church-McLean 
Children's Center (Falls Church, VA), who spoke about how the 
subsidy program had helped her provide care for her child with 
a developmental disability and how the program could be 
improved to ensure that families who earn moderate wage 
increases are not removed from the subsidy system without some 
form of continuing support.

                        COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

    On June 4, 2013, Senators Mikulski, Burr, Harkin, and 
Alexander introduced S.1086, the Child Care and Development 
Block Grant Act of 2014. On September 18, 2013, the committee 
met in executive session to consider the Child Care and 
Development Block Grant Act of 2014. Senator Harkin offered an 
amendment as a complete substitute and it was agreed to 
unanimously by all members present.

           IV. Explanation of Legislation and Committee Views

                                OVERVIEW

    The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014 
reauthorizes CCDBG through 2019 at a level of discretionary 
appropriations of such sums, as may be necessary, to carry out 
the program. The current 2014 appropriation is approximately 
$2.4 billion.

                             PROGRAM GOALS

    The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014 
amends the current goals of the program. The legislation 
creates six new goals: (1) to assist States in providing high-
quality child care services to parents trying to achieve 
independence from public assistance; (2) to assist States in 
improving the overall quality of child care services and 
programs by implementing the health, safety, licensing, 
training and oversight standards established under the Act and 
State law; (3) to improve school readiness by having children, 
families, and caregivers engage in activities in child care 
settings that are developmentally and age-appropriate and 
promote children's language, literacy, and mathematics skills, 
social and emotional development, physical health and 
development, and approaches to learning; (4) to encourage 
States to provide consumer education information to assist 
parents in making informed choices about child care services; 
(5) to increase the number and percentage of low-income 
children in high-quality settings; and (6) to improve the 
coordination and delivery of early childhood education and 
care, including child care.
    These new goals have been added to reinforce parental and 
family choice in determining the best setting for children 
while also placing a renewed focus on the quality of care.

                        LEAD AGENCY & STATE PLAN

    The legislation amends the Act to allow Governors to 
designate a collaborative agency or establish a joint 
interagency office to serve as the lead agency responsible for 
administering the program. It also extends the period for which 
the State plan is designed to be implemented from 2 years to 3 
years to provide States more time to carry out the improvements 
contained in the legislation.

                    NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

    The committee recognizes that over a quarter (27 percent) 
of children aged 2-5 years are overweight and obese. Children 
who are overweight between ages 2-5 years are five times more 
likely to be overweight at age 12 years. Obesity is associated 
with serious health problems in children, including 
hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hip and joint problems, as well 
as serious emotional stress, including low self-esteem, 
depression and bullying. Nonetheless, the committee is 
encouraged by recent findings from the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC) that after decades of rising 
rates, obesity among low-income preschoolers declined slightly 
in 19 States and U.S. territories from 2008 through 2011. The 
committee is aware that CDC identified helping child care 
providers use best practices for improving nutrition, 
increasing physical activity, and decreasing computer and 
television time as among strategies that the Federal Government 
is pursuing to prevent obesity. CDC also noted that population-
level changes in behavior such as increases in breastfeeding 
might have contributed to declines in obesity.
    Recognizing that a large and growing body of research has 
found that nutrition and physical activity are important 
determinants in children's academic success, the committee 
encourages States to include requirements in their State plans 
related to nutrition and access to physical activity, which 
could include best practices for early infant feeding and 
screen time reduction strategies (time spent viewing non-
educational television, smart phones, videos, computers, video 
games or other screens).
    Educating caregivers on appropriate nutrition and physical 
activity is essential to prevent long-term negative health and 
developmental implications associated with obesity. Currently, 
19 States have pre-service training related to nutrition for 
child care centers while only 15 States have the same 
requirement for home-based caregivers. Addressing obesity 
prevention is of particular concern in child care settings as 
it is critical for children in their early years to develop 
healthy behaviors relating to nutrition and physical activity. 
Furthermore, early obesity can track to adulthood, leading to 
lifelong consequences. For these reasons, the committee 
encourages States to target investments toward this type of 
training so that caregivers are aware of the appropriate 
nutrition and physical activity needs of the children they 
serve.

                           HEALTH AND SAFETY

    The committee believes that the law in its current form is 
inadequate to ensure the basic health and safety of children 
supported through CCDBG. National polling indicates that the 
majority of parents who benefit from the CCDBG program believe 
that the providers who took care of their children have 
undergone comprehensive criminal history checks, have training 
in health and safety, and are regularly inspected and 
monitored. However, the procedures implemented by States to 
ensure the health and safety of children in CCDBG-supported 
settings vary and are simply not in-line with the common 
perception of what a family will receive when they send their 
child to a subsidized child care provider.
    For instance, while 30 States report having training 
requirements specifically for providers serving infants and 
toddlers, such training has a tendency to be limited in scope 
and duration. The committee believes that there are certain 
precautionary measures States and providers should undertake to 
better protect children. For instance, 20 percent of the deaths 
related to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) occur in child 
care settings. According to the Centers for Disease Control and 
the American Academy of Pediatrics, half of the fatalities 
associated with SIDS would be entirely preventable with 
effective training and correct sleep practices. The committee 
hopes to stem the prevalence of these fatalities in child care 
settings by instituting health and safety requirements that 
include mandatory pre-service training in safe sleep practices 
to ensure that providers are aware of the dangers of SIDS and 
may take proactive steps to avoid it.
    In recognition of the growing need to adequately prepare 
for emergencies and disasters, the legislation also includes a 
requirement that child care providers receive training and take 
adequate precautionary measures in preparation for emergencies 
and disasters. The National Commission on Children and 
Disasters, established in 2007, provided recommendations to the 
States including standards essential to disaster preparedness 
and safety in settings serving children. They include: the 
development of an evaluation and relocation plan, which 
includes the designation of a relocation site and evacuation 
route; the development of a family-child reunification plan, 
including procedures for notifying parents or other caregivers 
of the relocation; a plan to address the needs of individual 
children, including children with special needs; procedures for 
the reassignment of staff duties, as appropriate; and 
procedures for communicating with local emergency management 
officials or other appropriate State or local authorities. As 
of 2013, a number of States meet these standards for emergency 
preparedness and response planning. The committee recognizes 
that the Administration for Children and Families has 
disseminated helpful resource guides to the States on emergency 
and disaster preparedness and that the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency has communicated vital information on the 
same topic to Governors. The committee encourages the 
Department of Health and Human Services' and the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency's continued efforts to provide 
States with appropriate guidance as they develop these plans 
for the child care providers in their States.
    Another critical component to the legislation is the 
inclusion of ongoing inspection and monitoring for child care 
providers in licensed settings. Currently, States vary to a 
great degree in the frequency of monitoring and inspection of 
child care facilities. In some States, child care facilities 
will not receive a pre-licensure inspection until they reach a 
certain threshold of children. In others, facilities receive 
pre-licensure inspections as soon as they begin serving a child 
and can expect an inspection every 4 months. The committee 
believes that regular and ongoing inspections of child care 
providers and facilities are necessary to ensure that children 
remain safe and healthy. The legislation requires that licensed 
child care providers receive at least one pre-licensure 
inspection and that they undergo at least one unannounced 
annual inspection for each fiscal year in which they receive 
support through CCDBG. While the legislation does not require a 
similar procedure for unlicensed providers, which serve nearly 
1 in every 5 children who receive care through CCDBG, it does 
require States to describe how exempting certain providers or 
facilities from licensure will not endanger the health, safety 
or development of children in such settings. Beyond the 
expectations set forth in the legislation, the decision of the 
intensity and frequency of pre-licensure and ongoing 
inspections should certainly rest with the States, as they are 
the best suited to understand the needs of the children and 
families in their jurisdictions and have an acute understanding 
of State and Federal resources at hand to carry out meaningful 
inspection and monitoring activities.

                       CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS

    Another critical safeguard included in the legislation is 
the requirement of mandatory criminal history checks for 
prospective and current child care providers who receive 
support through CCDBG. In 2011, a report from the Government 
Accountability Office (GAO) stated that child care providers at 
Federal child care facilities must undergo criminal history 
checks and that all States currently conduct criminal history 
checks on licensed child care providers and employees. However, 
the report also mentioned that some States do not require such 
checks for providers and employees in unlicensed settings. The 
GAO also stated that, at the time of the writing of the report, 
only three States required criminal history checks for all 
licensed and unlicensed child care providers and that several 
States exempted certain providers associated with schools or 
religious organizations from criminal history check 
requirements. Unfortunately, even in licensed settings, the GAO 
found that individuals convicted of sex offenses, including 
those against minors, had been allowed access to child care 
facilities either as a result of employment by a relative or 
acquaintance or simply through a failure to perform pre-
employment criminal history checks.
    The legislation includes a requirement that all child care 
providers and their employees must undergo comprehensive 
criminal background checks prior to employment or to maintain 
current employment. While the committee believes that these 
checks will go further to ensure the safety of children and 
promote peace of mind among families, it also believes that 
these checks must be performed in accordance with existing 
Federal and State laws. Throughout the course of the long 
legislative process leading up to the committee passage of this 
legislation, many expressed concerns about the potential 
negative consequences that these checks may carry with them. 
Chief among these concerns was that these checks could have a 
disproportionately negative impact on certain communities where 
criminal violations for drug use are more pronounced. It is 
certainly not the intention of the committee that these checks 
have a disparate impact on any particular population, or 
populations. Furthermore, the legislation allows, at the 
State's election, that individuals who have received a felony 
criminal conviction for drug-use may receive an individualized 
review from the State consistent with Title VII of the Civil 
Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis 
of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
    Another concern of the committee relates to individuals' 
privacy and ensuring that personal information was not released 
through the administration of criminal history checks. In 
response, the committee takes steps to ensure that an 
individual's privacy is guarded by restricting employers from 
obtaining information beyond an individual's employment 
eligibility. Further, the legislation disallows the State from 
publishing information related to an individual's criminal 
history check, or any other information that would lead to the 
identification of an individual who had undergone a criminal 
history check.
    Because this requirement will require some States to make 
statutory changes, the legislation provides States 2 years from 
the date of enactment of the legislation to comply with the 
background checks requirement. Should a State require more 
time, that State may petition the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services for a delay of no greater than 1 year. If the State is 
unable to establish or enhance an infrastructure to allow for 
these criminal history checks to be carried out according to 
the legislation, the Secretary must withhold 5 percent of the 
funds, in the aggregate, that the State would have otherwise 
received to carry out CCDBG.

                      CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

    The committee believes that all children should have access 
to high-quality child care services, including those that 
provide early learning experiences. For this reason, the 
committee took great care in ensuring that child care programs 
supported through CCDBG would be well-suited for children with 
special needs and their families. The Act asks States to 
explain how they will meet the needs of children with special 
needs, through means which include, but are not limited to, 
targeting assistance to families whose children are diagnosed 
with a disability or delay. Further, the legislation asks 
States to keep in mind the unique needs of children with 
disabilities when developing a framework for professional 
development. These initiatives can be supported through the 
general or infant and toddler quality expenditures States must 
reserve. States must also ensure that consumer education 
information is publicly available so that families can be aware 
of the services offered through the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) part B program, preschool 
program, and infant and toddler services under part C.
    The committee views these changes, and others incorporated 
in the legislation, as significant and meaningful improvements 
to the child care delivery system that will enable low-income 
parents of young children with disabilities a chance to work 
while ensuring children with disabilities have access to child 
care programs that will meet their special needs.

                           CONTINUITY OF CARE

    The primary goal of this legislation is to develop and 
foster high-quality child care programs that best suit the 
needs of families as they pursue the dual goals of financial 
self-sufficiency and promoting the healthy development and 
school success of their children. With those two goals in mind, 
the committee believes it is important for States to emphasize 
continuity of care when developing eligibility policies. 
Continuity of care supports financial self-sufficiency by 
offering working families stability to establish a strong 
financial foundation while also preparing children for school 
by creating stable conditions necessary for healthy child 
development and, for young children, early learning.
    Many families receive CCDBG assistance for only short 
periods of time and have frequent periods of cycling on and off 
the program. For example, a five-State study from 2002 showed 
that the median length of child care subsidy receipt is often 
very short, ranging from 3 to 7 months. Short periods of care 
can be the result of a variety of factors, but developing 
eligibility policies that provide increased continuity for 
families that continue to need child care assistance would 
offer valuable support and relief to families working toward 
long-term stability.
    Research has shown that children have better educational 
and developmental outcomes when they have continuity in their 
child care arrangements. For young children, safe, stable 
environments provide the opportunity to develop the 
relationships and trust necessary to comfortably explore and 
learn from their surroundings. Concurrently, research has shown 
that frequent changes in care arrangements are associated with 
higher levels of distress and negative behavior in infants and 
toddlers.
    For these reasons, the legislation establishes a minimum 
initial eligibility period of 12 months prior to re-
determination for families who receive CCDBG benefits through 
grants, contracts, or certificates, consistent with practices 
that exist in a majority of States. Children will remain 
eligible for CCDBG benefits throughout the 12-month period 
regardless of a temporary change in the ongoing status of the 
child's parent as working or attending a job training program 
as long as the parent or family's income does not exceed 85 
percent of the State's median income. Furthermore, States must 
account for irregular fluctuations in income that may occur 
during initial or re-determination. The committee believes this 
is particularly important for families who rely on work that is 
unpredictable or seasonal in nature, such as agriculture work 
or work associated with tourism industries. However, CCDBG 
requirements for eligibility are not changed in this 
legislation.
    The legislation also requires States to make meaningful 
efforts to ensure that re-determination processes will not 
unduly disrupt the employment, education, or participation in 
job-training of parents. Many States currently implement re-
determination strategies to accomplish this by verifying income 
and employment by electronic means as opposed to more onerous 
practices such as asking parents and families to assemble at a 
certain place at a specific day and time, without which a 
parent or family cannot benefit from the subsidy.
    At the option of a State, it may discontinue assistance for 
families within the 12-month period if there is demonstrated 
evidence of prolonged cessation in work, education, or training 
activities. While the legislation grants States a great degree 
of flexibility in administering their programs, the committee 
also strongly discourages States from exercising this option if 
the intended effect is to abruptly discontinue assistance if 
there are brief periods when a parent is not engaged in work, 
education, or training activities during the 12-month period 
for which parents' children are eligible for assistance. If a 
State chooses to exercise this option, it must demonstrate that 
it will continue to provide financial assistance to parents for 
a period of not less than 3 months to allow such parents to 
engage in job search, resume work, or to attend an education or 
training program as soon as possible.
    At the end of an eligibility period of not less than 12 
months, if a parent's income exceeds the maximum income 
required for eligibility, a State must allow for the provision 
of continued assistance to these parents as long as they are 
still engaged in work, education, or training activities and 
their income does not exceed 85 percent of the State's median 
income. The committee does not want to discourage families 
engaged in work from pursuing greater opportunities in the form 
of increased wages or earnings. During the third and final 
hearing the subcommittee on children and families held on the 
CCDBG program, a parent described how she became ineligible for 
assistance due to her increase in income, though she was only 
in marginally better circumstances and was employed by the same 
child care provider her young son attended. The committee 
believes that this type of practice runs counter to the intent 
of the program and does a great disservice to the adults who 
rely on child care assistance to seek employment or remain 
employed, and also to their children who may benefit 
tremendously from the provision of high-quality care.
    The committee strongly believes that if families are truly 
to achieve self-sufficiency that CCDBG cannot perversely 
incentivize families to forgo modest raises or bonuses for fear 
of losing assistance under the CCDBG program. Many States have 
pursued creative methods to ensure that families who experience 
increases in earnings are not unduly affected during re-
determination. Some States accomplish this by having tiered 
eligibility systems wherein families may become initially 
eligible for assistance at a certain percentage of the State's 
median income but will not become ineligible for assistance if 
their earnings increase within a certain range over the course 
of their eligibility period.
    The legislation is by no means exhaustive in its 
description of policies to promote continuity of care for 
children and the committee encourages States to develop and 
explore other policies or practices that promote stability for 
families receiving CCDBG, such as policies that take into 
account the developmental needs of children, timely eligibility 
determination and processing of applications, and policies that 
promote employment and income advancement for parents.
    Furthermore, the committee recognizes the unique needs of 
homeless families and was pleased to make changes to address 
certain challenges experienced by homeless children. Homeless 
families often are not able to maintain vital documents. Many 
families become homeless in circumstances that do not allow 
them to gather and preserve documents, such as domestic 
violence, eviction and natural disasters. Mobility and extreme 
poverty can lead to loss of documents families do maintain. 
Therefore, it is the intent of the committee that homeless 
children's access to child care subsidies and child care 
services not be delayed due to their inability to provide 
required documentation. Children must be allowed to receive 
child care services while their families compile documentation. 
States should develop and adopt policies and procedures to 
permit immediate enrollment of homeless children, similar to 
those provided under Subtitle VIIB of the McKinney-Vento 
Homeless Assistance Act. Once enrolled and receiving child 
care, families can continue to request and obtain necessary 
documents from the appropriate authorities.

                            PARENTAL CHOICE

    The legislation reasserts that a primary goal of CCDBG is 
``to promote parental choice to empower working parents to make 
their own decisions regarding the child care that best suits 
their family's needs.'' This was stated in the original 1990 
legislation and its reiteration here is meant to emphasize that 
parental choice remains a guiding principle of the program. 
Congress clearly intended to meet this objective by maximizing 
child care options through the introduction of the ``child care 
certificate,'' which affords parents the flexibility to choose 
among the widest range of child care providers and services, 
including both sectarian and non-sectarian in nature. Grants 
and contracts will continue to remain an option for States to 
provide direct services to children. These methods are 
particularly helpful in meeting the needs of specific 
populations of children and are well-suited to provide services 
in specific geographical areas. This, however, in no way 
detracts from the ability of States to maintain the use of 
certificates, which offer eligible parents the broadest array 
of options and afford parents maximum choice. Recent data from 
the Department of Health and Human Services indicates that 
approximately 90 percent of children receiving child care 
assistance were served through certificates.

                           CHILD CARE QUALITY

    When the CCDBG program was initially created in 1990, and 
then reauthorized in 1996, it was primarily seen as a work 
support program for low-income working families, particularly 
mothers. In addition to this critical feature, significant 
developments in the realm of brain research and child 
development compel the committee to orient the program as one 
that is equally, if not more, committed to the healthy 
physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development of 
children, especially those in the first several years of life.
    In 2000, the National Research Council (``the council'') 
released its groundbreaking report From Neurons to 
Neighborhoods, which detailed the nature of early development 
and the role of early experiences on a child's life. The 
council stated that,

          ``[f]rom the time of conception to the first day of 
        kindergarten, development proceeds at a pace exceeding 
        that of any subsequent stage of life . . . [w]hat 
        happens during the first months and years of life 
        matters a lot, not because this period of development 
        provides an indelible blueprint for adult well-being, 
        but because it sets either a sturdy or fragile stage 
        for what follows.''

    The council went on to describe that young children rapidly 
develop foundational capabilities on which subsequent 
development builds. Further, the council stated that 
disparities in what children know and can do present themselves 
well before kindergarten entry. These disparities are highly 
predictive of future academic performance and are strongly 
associated with social and economic circumstances.
    Subsequent research has borne out and reinforced much of 
what the council distilled in its report which is why the 
committee views the reauthorization of CCDBG as a critical 
opportunity to place a greater emphasis on improving the level 
of quality in subsidized child care settings. According to data 
from 2011, well over half of the children who benefit from 
CCDBG subsidies are infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged 
children. However, the States operating and administering CCDBG 
vary to a great degree in the emphasis they place on providing 
children access to environments that nurture their healthy 
development. This reauthorization attempts to set a base level 
of quality expectations and guidelines that are currently 
implemented by a growing number of States.
    For the foregoing reasons, the legislation increases the 
percentage of the total block grant (including mandatory 
funding) a State must spend on activities to improve the 
quality of child care provided to eligible families in the 
State and also provides a list of 11 allowable activities for 
these funds, from which the State must choose no fewer than 
two. The allowable activities enumerated in the legislation are 
in-line with current efforts in the States and should serve to 
either complement the work currently done by States or to 
enhance their ability to perform additional activities that 
will benefit the children and families they serve.
    Improvements in the workforce are embedded throughout the 
legislation, but are prominently highlighted as an activity 
where States may direct their quality reservation funding. As 
stated by the chair of the Institute of Medicine's Committee on 
Early Childhood Education and Care Workforce,

          ``[t]he research picture is clear--quality of care 
        and education matters to the lives of young children, 
        and teachers and caregivers are central to providing 
        that quality.''

    And as the National Academy of Sciences noted in a 2012 
report, the ``interactions, behaviors, and teaching practices'' 
of adults are influenced by such factors as the attitudes, 
education, training or professional development, compensation 
of teachers and caregivers.
    The committee recognizes that the varying levels of quality 
in child care can be directly linked to the quality of the 
workforce delivering that care. For that reason, the committee 
placed a particular emphasis on States providing caregivers and 
teachers the necessary support to increase their knowledge and 
skills through training, which may include the acquisition of a 
credential. Research highlights the benefits a skilled 
workforce can have on education attainment in child care 
settings. Furthermore, the committee applauds the efforts of 
certain States that have linked the attainment of a degree or 
credential relevant to child care work to higher wages for 
those workers. One promising program utilized in many States--
called the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps Grants--
provides scholarships to child care workers to complete course 
work in early childhood education and to increase their 
compensation. However, the committee does not intend, nor does 
it imply, that this legislation requires the attainment of a 
credential to receive support through CCDBG.
    The committee acknowledges these changes can have a 
positive impact on children served but also on building the 
professional child care workforce. To that end, the committee 
encourages States, particularly in section 6, to further their 
efforts in this regard.
    The legislation also makes a number of additions to the law 
to focus on the provision of high-quality care to infants and 
toddlers. Data from the Department of Health and Human Services 
show that nearly a third of the children who benefit from CCDBG 
are infants and toddlers. In some States, such as Louisiana, 
nearly half of the children benefiting from CCDBG are below the 
age of 3. As stated previously, the most remarkable period of 
growth for children occurs in their first few years of life and 
it is therefore critical that our youngest children are in 
settings that encourage their positive cognitive, physical, 
social and emotional development. For this reason, it has been 
the longstanding practice of the Committee on Appropriations to 
reserve approximately $100 million in each year's funding bills 
strictly for the purposes of improving the quality of care 
provided to infants and toddlers.
    Through the legislation, the committee augments and makes 
permanent the reservation for infant and toddler quality 
activities in recognition of the great importance of directing 
investments to this particular age population. The legislation 
requires a reservation of no less than 3 percent of the funding 
that State receives, in the aggregate (including mandatory 
funds), specifically for quality improvement activities for 
infants and toddlers. This is in addition to the reservation 
for quality activities referred to above. Using funding 
provided for CCDBG for fiscal year 2013, this reservation would 
amount to approximately $150 million.
    The committee provides a list of allowable activities for 
States to pursue that are reflective of the current practices 
of many States that have devoted significant attention and 
resources to improving care for infants and toddlers. For 
example, the legislation allows States to support a network of 
infant and toddler child care specialists who can help child 
care providers increase their knowledge and skills related to 
the provision of care for very young children. This is a 
practice supported in a majority of States and one that could 
serve as an invaluable resource to child care providers serving 
infants and toddlers. The legislation also allows States to use 
funds to target professional development and improve training 
for providers who serve infants and toddlers. To accomplish 
this, a State could choose to provide financial supports to 
providers to help cover the high costs of training or 
education. This is a practice currently undertaken in 39 
States.
    The legislation also requests that States describe in their 
State plans how they will prioritize providing care for infants 
and toddlers, which can be demonstrated by prioritizing infants 
and toddlers through their certificate programs or through 
establishment or expansion of direct contracts and grants to 
providers that provide high-quality care to infants and 
toddlers.

                         REGULATORY FLEXIBILITY

    CCDBG, by virtue of being a block grant program, has 
traditionally promoted flexibility at the State and local level 
to approach the issue of affordable, safe child care. Because 
several other Federal programs and their attendant requirements 
are oftentimes applied in the same settings where CCDBG funds 
are used, practitioners in the field urged the committee to 
address sometimes contradictory Federal requirements. The 
committee included language providing for a waiver process by 
which States may seek relief from certain Federal laws that 
might prove unworkable on the local level. In return, the 
legislation instructs the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services to work within HHS, but also other agencies, to 
provide relief from those State-identified provisions only to 
the extent relief from those laws would not endanger the well-
being of children. The committee believes this provision will 
provide clarity as well as provide States the freedom from 
conflicting requirements in the delivery of services to 
children served under the CCDBG program.
    It is the intention of the committee that States exercise 
this provision in an attempt to maximize the effective 
administration and delivery of federally subsidized child care, 
and not for purposes that have a minor effect on child care. 
This provision was not intended, nor should it be interpreted, 
as one that can be used to undermine the goals and purposes of 
other laws. It is the expectation of the committee that if a 
State should ever request relief under this provision that it 
would only be done in cases where the relief sought was 
necessary to improve the delivery of services to children and 
families and that, in the absence of relief, the State's 
ability to effectively administer the program would suffer. 
Should a State present a request wherein certain actions could 
be taken at the State or municipal level to reach the same 
ameliorative or salutary effect, it would not fall within the 
type of circumstance envisioned by the committee.

                            V. Cost Estimate

    Pending response from the Congressional Budget Office.

            VI. Application of Law to the Legislative Branch

    Section 102(b)(3) of Public Law 104-1, the Congressional 
Accountability Act, requires a description of the application 
of this bill to the legislative branch. S.1086 reauthorizes the 
child care and development block grant to the States and does 
not amend any act that applies to the legislative branch.

                    VII. Regulatory Impact Statement

    Pursuant to the requirements of paragraph 11(b) of rule 
XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the committee has 
determined that the bill will not have a significant regulatory 
impact.

                   VIII. Section-by-Section Analysis

Section 1. Short title
    This section designates the bill as the ``Child Care and 
Development Block Grant Act of 2014.''
Section 2. Short title and purposes
    This section lays out the purposes of the CCDBG program.
Section 3. Authorization of appropriations
    This section authorizes such sums as may be necessary for 
each of the fiscal years 2014 through 2019.
Section 4. Lead agency
    This section requires the Governor of a State interested in 
receiving CCDBG funding to designate an agency, or establish a 
joint interagency office, to serve as the lead agency for the 
State with respect to CCDBG. Also provides Indian tribes or 
organizations an option to work with the State in development 
of State plan.
Section 5. Application & plan
      Period covered by a plan
    This section requires that State plans be implemented in a 
3-year period.
      Monitoring & inspection reports
    This section requires States, not later than 1 year after 
coming into compliance with the licensing and regulatory 
requirements required under this law (could not exceed 3 years 
after enactment of law), to make public by electronic means the 
results of monitoring and inspection reports, including those 
due to major, substantiated complaints, about failure to comply 
with this Act and State child care policies. Further, States 
must publish the number of deaths, serious injuries, and 
instances of substantiated child abuse that occurred in child 
care settings each year. Finally, States must make public 
information on the date inspections occurred and, where 
applicable, information on the corrective action taken.
      Consumer education information
    This section requires States to collect and disseminate 
information to help promote informed child care choices, 
including information regarding: (1) the quality and 
availability of child care services provided through CCDBG; (2) 
quality of providers (if available); (3) the State processes 
for licensing child care providers, conducting background 
checks, and monitoring of providers; (4) the availability of 
assistance to obtain child care services both at Federal and 
State level; (5) other financial assistance programs that 
families may be eligible for; and (6) research and best 
practices concerning children's development. This section 
further requires States to collect and disseminate information 
on developmental screenings and how families can utilize State 
and local resources to access such screenings.
      Compliance with State licensing requirements
    This section requires States to certify that they have in 
effect licensing requirements applicable to child care services 
provided within the State. It also requires States to provide a 
detailed description of such requirements and how they are 
effectively enforced. Further, States that use CCDBG funding to 
support license-exempt care must describe, in their State plan, 
why such license-exempt care does not endanger the health, 
safety, or development of children. A State may request relief 
from a provision of Federal law if it conflicts with these 
requirements.
      Training requirements
    This section requires States to describe their workforce 
training requirements that are designed to enable child care 
providers to promote the social, emotional, physical, and 
cognitive development of children. States must provide an 
assurance that their workforce training requirements (1) 
include a set of workforce and competency standards for child 
care providers; (2) are developed in consultation with the 
State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care; 
(3) include an evidence-based training framework designed to 
promote children's learning, development, and school-readiness; 
(4) incorporate knowledge and application of the State's early 
learning and developmental guidelines and, where applicable, 
the State's child development and health standards; and (5) to 
the extent practicable, are appropriate for a population of 
children that includes different age groups (infants, toddlers, 
preschoolers), English learners, children with disabilities, 
and Indians.
      Progression of professional development
    In developing their workforce training requirements, this 
section requires States to develop a statewide progression of 
professional development designed to improve the skills and 
knowledge of the workforce, which may include the acquisition 
of course credit in postsecondary education or of a credential 
aligned with the framework, and shall be accessible to 
providers supported through Indian tribes or tribal 
organizations that receive CCDBG funding. The State shall 
engage the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education 
and Care--and may engage institutions of higher education and 
other training providers--in aligning training opportunities 
with the State's framework. This section prohibits the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services from requiring 
individuals who provide child care services through CCDBG to 
acquire credentials. It further clarifies that nothing in this 
section shall be construed to prohibit a State from requiring a 
credential.
      Child-to-provider ratio standards
    This section requires States to describe their child care 
standards regarding group size limits for specific age 
populations, the appropriate ratio between the number of 
children and the number of providers, and required 
qualifications for providers. This section allows the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services to offer guidance to States on 
child-to-provider ratios, but does not require States to 
maintain or establish specific child-to-provider ratios for 
CCDBG.
      Health & safety requirements
    This section requires States to certify that they have in 
effect requirements designed to protect the health and safety 
of children in the CCDBG program. These requirements shall 
include health and safety topics consisting of (1) the 
prevention and control of infectious diseases and the 
establishment of a grace period that allows homeless children 
to receive services under this Act while their families are 
taking any necessary action to comply with immunization and 
other health and safety requirements; (2) hand-washing and 
universal health precautions; (3) the administration of 
medication, consistent with standards for parental consent; (4) 
the prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and 
other allergic reactions; (5) prevention of sudden infant death 
syndrome and uses of safe sleeping practices; (6) sanitary 
methods of food handling; (7) building and physical premises 
safety; (8) emergency preparedness and response planning for 
emergencies resulting from a natural disaster or a man-caused 
event (such as violence at a child care facility); (9) the 
handling and storage of hazardous materials and the appropriate 
disposal of bio-contaminants; (10) identification of and 
protection from hazards that can cause bodily injury 
(electrical hazards, bodies of water, vehicular traffic); (11) 
precautions for transporting children, if applicable: (12) 
first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation; and (13) minimum 
health and safety training appropriate to the provider setting 
involved that addresses each of the matters described above. 
States may also establish requirements related to physical 
activity and nutrition. Nothing in this section is intended to 
require a State to repeal or amend laws or regulations that 
allow children who have not been immunized to be enrolled in 
child care.
      Compliance with State & local health & safety requirements
    This section requires States to certify that procedures are 
in place to ensure that CCDBG providers within their State 
comply with all applicable State or local health and safety 
requirements.
      Enforcement of licensing & other regulatory requirements
    This section requires States, within 2 years of enactment 
of this Act, to certify that they have in effect policies and 
practices to ensure that individuals who are hired as licensing 
inspectors in the State are qualified to inspect those child 
care providers and facilities and have received training in 
related health and safety requirements, child abuse prevention 
and detection, program management, child development, and 
relevant law enforcement. In addition, States must ensure that 
licensing inspectors (or a qualified inspector designated by 
the lead agency) perform (1) not less than one pre-licensure 
health, safety, and fire inspection of each child care provider 
and facility in the State; and (2) not less than annually, a 
health, safety, and fire inspection (which shall be 
unannounced) of each child care provider and facility 
(inspections can occur all at once or at multiple times). 
Further, the ratio of licensing staff to such child care 
providers and facilities in the State must be maintained at a 
level sufficient to enable the State to conduct inspections of 
providers and facilities in a timely manner and must be 
consistent with research findings and best practices.
      Compliance with child abuse reporting requirements
    This section requires States to certify that child care 
providers within the State will comply with the child abuse 
reporting requirements of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act (CAPTA).
      Meeting the needs of certain populations
    This section requires States to describe how they will 
develop and implement strategies (which may include the 
provision of compensation at higher payment rates and bonuses 
to child care providers) to increase the supply and improve the 
quality of child care for: (1) children in underserved areas, 
including rural areas; (2) infants and toddlers; (3) children 
with disabilities as defined by the State; and (4) children who 
receive care during non-traditional hours.
      Protection for working parents
    This section requires States to describe the procedures and 
policies in place to ensure that working parents are not 
required to unduly disrupt their employment in order to comply 
with the State's requirements for redetermination of 
eligibility for assistance through CCDBG. States shall ensure 
that each child that receives assistance through CCDBG will 
receive assistance for not less than 12 months (regardless of 
changes in family income so long as family income does not 
exceed 85 percent of the State median income for a family of 
the same size) before the State re-determines the eligibility 
of the child. States will be required to demonstrate how their 
initial determination and redetermination processes take into 
account irregular fluctuations in earnings. States will also be 
required to describe the policies and procedures in place to 
allow for provision of continued assistance (for a period not 
to exceed 12 months) to children of working parents who become 
ineligible for assistance during the redetermination process 
due to a modest increase in the parents' income.
      Coordination with other programs
    In order to expand accessibility and continuity of quality 
childhood education and care, and assist children enrolled in 
kindergarten, Early Head Start, or Head Start programs to 
receive full-day services, this section requires States to 
coordinate with Head Start; Early Head Start; ESEA; the 
Individuals with Disabilities Act; Maternal, Infant, and Early 
Childhood Home Visiting programs; State, tribal, and locally 
funded early childhood education and care programs; programs 
serving homeless children; and other Federal programs 
supporting early childhood education and care activities 
including child care programs funded through State veterans 
affairs offices (where applicable).
      Public-private partnerships
    This section requires States to demonstrate how they are 
encouraging partnerships among State agencies, other public 
agencies, Indian tribes and tribal organizations, and private 
entities, to leverage existing service delivery systems and to 
increase the supply and quality of child care services for 
children who are less than 13 years of age.
      Priority for low-income populations
    This section requires States to describe the process by 
which they propose to give priority to children of families in 
areas that have significant concentrations of poverty and 
unemployment.
      Consultation
    This section requires certification that State plans have 
been developed in consultation with the State Advisory Council 
on Early Childhood Education and Care (established pursuant to 
the Head Start Act).
      Payment practices
    So as to provide stability of funding and encourage more 
child care providers to serve children through the CCDBG 
program, this section requires States to certify that their 
payment practices for child care providers that serve children 
who receive assistance through CCDBG reflect generally accepted 
payment practices of child care providers in the State that 
serve children who do not receive assistance through CCDBG.
      Early learning and developmental guidelines
    This section requires States to provide an assurance that 
they will develop or implement early learning and developmental 
guidelines that are appropriate for children from birth through 
entry into kindergarten, describing what such children should 
know and be able to do, and covering the essential domains of 
early childhood education and care and early childhood 
development for use statewide by child care providers. These 
will apply to child care providers who are licensed or 
regulated by the State and not a relative of all children for 
whom the provider provides child care services. The guidelines 
shall be research-based, developmentally appropriate, and 
aligned with State standards for kindergarten through grade 3. 
States must provide an assurance that CCDBG dollars will not be 
used to develop or implement an assessment that will be the 
sole basis in a child care provider being determined to be 
ineligible to participate in the program, will not be used as 
the primary or sole basis to provide a reward or sanction for 
an individual provider, will not be used as the primary or sole 
method for assessing program effectiveness, or will not be used 
to deny eligibility to participate in the program. However, 
nothing in this section shall preclude a State from using a 
single assessment (if appropriate) for children for supporting 
learning or improving classroom environment; targeting 
professional development to a provider; determining the need 
for health, mental health, disability, developmental delay, or 
family support services; obtaining information for the quality 
improvement process; or conducting a program evaluation for the 
purposes of providing program improvement and parental 
involvement. Finally, nothing in this section shall be 
construed to authorize the Federal Government to mandate, 
direct, or control a State's early learning guidelines.
      Direct services
    This section requires States to use at least 70 percent of 
CCDBG funding to pay for direct services (funding for access to 
eligible families for child care services).
      Payment rates
    This section requires States to certify that payment rates 
for the provision of child care services for which assistance 
is provided through CCDBG are sufficient to ensure equal access 
for eligible children to child care services in the State that 
are provided to children whose parents are not eligible to 
receive CCDBG assistance. Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to prevent a State from differentiating payment rates 
on the basis of geography, age or particular needs of children, 
whether the providers provide child care during weekends and 
other non-traditional hours, or the State's determination that 
different payment rates are needed to enable a parent to choose 
high quality child care.
Section 6. Activities to improve the quality of child care
      Reservation
    This section requires that States spend a certain 
percentage of their CCDBG funding on improving the quality of 
child care (the ``quality set-aside''): no less than 6 percent 
of such funds in first 2 fiscal years after date of enactment 
of law; no less than 8 percent of such funds in third and 
fourth fiscal years after date of enactment; and no less than 
10 percent of such funds in the fifth fiscal year after date of 
enactment and each succeeding year. In addition, States are 
required to spend at least another 3 percent of funds in the 
first fiscal year after enactment, and each succeeding year, to 
improve the quality of child care for infants and toddlers.
      Allowable activities
    This section lays out allowable activities with which 
``quality set-aside'' dollars must be spent. States are 
required to use this money to carry out no less than two of the 
below activities, provided directly or through grants or 
contracts with appropriate entities such as child care resource 
and referral organizations, to improve the quality of child 
care:

    1. Support the training, professional development, and 
professional advancement of the child care workforce through 
such activities as:

     Offering child care providers training and 
professional development that is intentional and sequential and 
leads to a higher level of skill or certification;
     Establishing or supporting programs designed to 
increase the retention and improve the competencies of child 
care providers, including wage incentive programs and 
initiatives that establish tiered payment rates for providers 
that meet or exceed child care services guidelines, as defined 
by the State;
     Offering training, professional development, and 
educational opportunities for child care providers that relate 
to the use of developmentally appropriate and age-appropriate 
curricula, and early childhood teaching strategies, that are 
scientifically based and aligned with the social, emotional, 
physical, and cognitive development of children, including 
offering specialized training for child care providers who care 
for infants and toddlers, children who are English learners, 
and children with disabilities;
     Providing training concerning the State early 
learning and developmental guidelines, where applicable, 
including training concerning early mathematics and early 
language and literacy development and effective instructional 
practices to support mathematics and language and literacy 
development in young children;
     Incorporating effective use of data to guide 
instruction and program improvement;
     Including effective behavior management strategies 
and training, such as positive behavioral interventions and 
supports, that promote positive social and emotional 
development and reduce challenging behaviors;
     At the option of the State, incorporating feedback 
from experts at the State's institutions of higher education 
and other early learning and development experts and early 
childhood experts;
     Providing training corresponding to the 
nutritional and physical activity needs of children to promote 
their healthy development;
     Providing training or professional development for 
child care providers to serve and support children with 
disabilities;
     Providing training and outreach on engaging 
parents and families in culturally and linguistically 
appropriate ways to expand their knowledge, skills, and 
capacity to become meaningful partners in supporting their 
children's learning and development; and
     Providing training or professional development for 
child care providers regarding the early neurological 
development of children.

    2. Support the use of early learning guidelines by:

     Developing and implementing the State's early 
learning and developmental guidelines; and
     Providing technical assistance to enhance early 
learning for preschool and school-aged children, to promote 
language and literacy skills, to foster school readiness, and 
to support later school success.

    3. Developing and implementing a tiered quality rating 
system for child care providers which shall:

     Support and assess the quality of child care 
providers in the State;
     Build on licensing standards and other State 
regulatory standards for such providers;
     Be designed to improve the quality of different 
types of child care providers;
     Describe the quality of early learning facilities;
     Build the capacity of State early learning 
programs and communities to promote parents' and families' 
understanding of the State's early learning system and the 
ratings of the programs in which the child is enrolled; and
     Provide, to the maximum extent practicable, 
financial incentives and other supports designed to achieve and 
sustain higher levels of quality.

    4. Improving the supply and quality of child care programs 
and services for infants and toddlers through activities which 
may include:

     Establishing or expanding neighborhood-based high-
quality comprehensive family and child development centers, 
which may serve as resources to child care providers in order 
to improve the quality of early care and development services 
provided to infants and toddlers from low-income families and 
to help eligible child care providers improve their capacity to 
offer high-quality care to infants and toddlers from low-income 
families;
     Establishing or expanding the operation of 
community or neighborhood-based family child care networks;
     Supporting statewide networks of infant and 
toddler child care specialists, including specialists who have 
knowledge regarding infant and toddler development and 
curriculum and program implementation, as well as the ability 
to coordinate services with early intervention specialists who 
provide services for infants and toddlers with disabilities 
under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education 
Act;
     Carrying out initiatives to improve the quality of 
the infant and toddler child care workforce, such as providing 
relevant training, professional development or mentoring 
opportunities and linking such opportunities to career 
pathways, developing career pathways for such providers, and 
improving the State credentialing of eligible providers caring 
for infants and toddlers; and
     If applicable, developing infant and toddler 
components within the State's quality rating system described 
in paragraph (2)(F) for child care providers for infants and 
toddlers, or development of infant and toddler components in a 
State's child care licensing regulations or early childhood 
guidelines;
     Improving the ability of parents to access 
information about high-quality infant and toddler care; and
     Carrying out other activities determined by the 
State to improve the quality of infant and toddler care 
provided in the State and for which there is evidence that the 
activities will lead to improved infant and toddler health and 
safety, infant and toddler development, or infant and toddler 
well-being, including providing training (including training in 
safe sleeping practices, first aid, and cardiopulmonary 
resuscitation).

    5. Promoting broad child care provider participation in the 
Quality Rating System;
    6. Establishing or expanding a statewide system of child 
care resource and referral services;
    7. Facilitating compliance with State requirements for 
inspection, monitoring, training, health and safety, and with 
State licensing standards;
    8. Evaluating and assessing the quality and effectiveness 
of child care programs and services offered in the State, 
including evaluating how such programs and services may improve 
the overall school readiness of young children;
    9. Supporting child care providers in their pursuit of 
accreditation by an established national accrediting body with 
demon-
strated, valid, and reliable program standards of high quality;
    10. Supporting State or local efforts to develop or adopt 
high-quality program standards relating to health, mental 
health, nutrition, physical activity, and physical development 
and/or provide resources to enable eligible child care 
providers to meet, exceed, or sustain success in meeting or 
exceeding such standards; and
    11. Carrying out other activities determined by the State 
to improve the quality of child care services provided in the 
State, and for which measurement of outcomes relating to 
improved provider preparedness, child safety, child well-being, 
or school readiness is possible.
      Certification
    Beginning with fiscal year 2014, this section requires 
States to annually submit a certification to the Secretary 
containing an assurance that they were in compliance with the 
quality set-aside requirements and describes how the State 
complied with these requirements in the preceding year.
      Reporting requirements
    This section requires each State to annually submit a 
report, which shall include information regarding: (1) the 
amount of funds that are used to carry out quality-related 
activities; (2) the types of quality-related activities the 
State uses funding for; and (3) the measures that the State 
will use to evaluate progress in improving the quality of child 
care programs and services.
      Technical assistance
    This section directs the Secretary of HHS to use its 
administrative funds to offer technical assistance to States.
      Construction
    Nothing in this section shall be construed to provide the 
Secretary with the authority to regulate, direct, or dictate 
State child care quality activities or progress in implementing 
those activities.
Section 7. Criminal background checks
    This section requires States that receive funds under the 
Child Care and Development and Block Grant (CCDBG) program to 
conduct comprehensive background checks (State and Federal 
fingerprint checks, sex offender registry check, and check of 
the child abuse and neglect registry) for all licensed, 
regulated, or registered providers.
    Further, this section makes individuals ineligible to be 
employed by a child care provider, operate a family child care 
home, or receive child care subsidies if such individual:

     Refuses to consent to a criminal background check;
     Makes false statements in connection with a 
background check;
      Is registered or required to be registered on a 
State sex offender registry; or
     Has been convicted of a violent crime (murder; a 
crime against children, including child pornography; spousal 
abuse; a crime involving rape or sexual assault; kidnapping; 
arson; or physical assault, battery, or a drug-related offense 
committed within the past 5 years and subject to an individual 
review, at the choice of the State, for extenuating 
circumstances).

    This section requires that background checks be processed 
as expeditiously as possible, but not to exceed 45 days, and 
restricts fees to the actual cost (or less) to the State for 
the administration of background checks. Complete background 
checks are required to be repeated every 5 years and States 
must have an appeals process in place by which a child care 
staff member may appeal the results of a criminal background 
check, to challenge the accuracy or completeness of the 
information contained in the individual's criminal background 
report.
Section 8. Reports & information
      National toll-free hotline & Web site
    This section requires the Secretary to operate a national 
toll-free hotline and Web site to develop and disseminate 
information to help parents access safe, affordable, and 
quality child care in their community and to allow persons to 
report suspected child abuse or neglect or safety violations by 
an eligible child care provider that receives assistance 
through CCDBG.
      Request for relief
    Allows States to submit to the Secretary of HHS a request 
for relief from any provision of Federal law that might 
conflict with requirements outlined in this law (request must 
detail provision of Federal law that is in conflict, describe 
how modifying compliance with Federal law will improve delivery 
of services for children in the State, and certify that the 
health, safety, and well-being of children served will not be 
compromised as a result). The Secretary of HHS shall consult 
with the State and head of each Federal agency with 
responsibility for administering the Federal law detailed in 
the State's request. After this consultation, the head of the 
Federal agency involved shall have the authority to waive any 
statutory provision unless they determine that such a waiver is 
inconsistent with the objectives of this law.
Section 9. Reservation for toll-free hotline & Web site; payment to 
        benefit Indian children
      Authorization for toll-free hotline & Web site
    This section requires the Secretary to reserve at least $1 
million annually for the operation of the national toll-free 
hotline and Web site.
      Licensing and standards for Indian children
    This section requires the Secretary of HHS, in consultation 
with Indian tribes or tribal organizations, to develop minimum 
child care standards that shall be applicable to Indian tribes 
and tribal organizations receiving assistance through the CCDBG 
program. Such standards shall include standards requiring a 
publicly available application, health and safety standards, 
and standards requiring a reservation of funds for activities 
to improve the quality of child care provided to Indian 
children.
Section 10. Definitions
    This section includes new definitions for the following 
terms:

     ``Child with a disability'';
     ``English learner''; and
     ``Scientifically valid research''.
Section 11. Studies on waiting lists
    This section requires the GAO to conduct studies to 
determine, for each State, the number of families that: (1) are 
eligible to receive assistance through CCDBG; (2) have applied 
for CCDBG assistance; and (3) have been placed on a waiting 
list for CCDBG assistance. The study shall be submitted to 
Congress within 2 years of enactment of this law and every 2 
years thereafter.

                      IX. Changes in Existing Law

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by 
the bill as reported are shown as follows: Existing law 
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in [black brackets], new 
matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is 
proposed is shown in roman:

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

[SEC. 658A. SHORT TITLE AND GOALS.]

  [(a) Short Title.--This subchapter may be cited as the 
``Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990''.
  [(b) Goals.--The goals of this subchapter are--
          [(1) to allow each State maximum flexibility in 
        developing child care programs and policies that best 
        suit the needs of children and parents within such 
        State;
          [(2) to promote parental choice to empower working 
        parents to make their own decisions on the child care 
        that best suits their family's needs;
          [(3) to encourage States to provide consumer 
        education information to help parents make informed 
        choices about child care;
          [(4) to assist States to provide child care to 
        parents trying to achieve independence from public 
        assistance; and
          [(5) to assist States in implementing the health, 
        safety, licensing, and registration standards 
        established in State regulations.]

SEC. 658A. SHORT TITLE AND PURPOSES.

  (a) Short Title.--This subchapter may be cited as the ``Child 
Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990''.
  (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this subchapter are--
          (1) to allow each State maximum flexibility in 
        developing child care programs and policies that best 
        suit the needs of children and parents within that 
        State;
          (2) to promote parental choice to empower working 
        parents to make their own decisions regarding the child 
        care that best suits their family's needs;
          (3) to assist States in providing high-quality child 
        care services to parents trying to achieve independence 
        from public assistance;
          (4) to assist States in improving the overall quality 
        of child care services and programs by implementing the 
        health, safety, licensing, training, and oversight 
        standards established in this subchapter and in State 
        law (including regulations);
          (5) to improve school readiness by having children, 
        families, and child care providers engage in 
        activities, in child care settings, that are 
        developmentally appropriate and age-appropriate for the 
        children and that promote children's language and 
        literacy and mathematics skills, social and emotional 
        development, physical health and development, and 
        approaches to learning;
          (6) to encourage States to provide consumer education 
        information to help parents make informed choices about 
        child care services and to promote involvement by 
        parents and family members in the education of their 
        children in child care settings;
          (7) to increase the number and percentage of low-
        income children in high-quality child care settings; 
        and
          (8) to improve the coordination and delivery of early 
        childhood education and care (including child care).

SEC. 658B. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

  There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
[subchapter $1,000,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1996 
through 2002.]subchapter, such sums as may be necessary for 
each of fiscal years 2015 through 2020.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

SEC. 658D. LEAD AGENCY.

  (a) Designation.--The [chief executive officer]Governor of a 
State desiring to receive a grant under this subchapter shall 
[designate, in an application submitted to the Secretary under 
section 658E, an appropriate State agency that complies with 
the requirements of subsection (b) to act as the lead 
agency.]designate an agency (which may be an appropriate 
collaborative agency), or establish a joint interagency office, 
that complies with the requirements of subsection (b) to serve 
as the lead agency for the State under this subchapter.
  (b) Duties.--
          (1) In general.--The lead agency shall--
                  (A) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                  (C) in conjunction with the development of 
                the State plan as required under subparagraph 
                (B), hold at least one hearing in the State 
                with sufficient time and Statewide distribution 
                of the notice of such hearing, to provide to 
                the public an opportunity to comment on the 
                provision of child care services under the 
                State plan; [and]
                  (D) coordinate the provision of services 
                under this subchapter with other Federal, State 
                and local child care and early childhood 
                development programs[.]; and
                  (E) at the option of an Indian tribe or 
                tribal organization in the State, collaborate 
                and coordinate with such Indian tribe or tribal 
                organization in the development of the State 
                plan.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

SEC. 658E. APPLICATION AND PLAN.

  (a) Application.-- * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (b) Period Covered by Plan.--The State plan contained in the 
application under subsection (a) shall be designed to be 
implemented during a [2-year]3-year period.
  (c) Requirements of a Plan.--
          (1) Lead agency.--The State plan shall identify the 
        lead agency designated or established under section 
        658D.
          (2) Policies and procedures.--The State plan shall:
                  (A) Parental choice of providers.--Provide 
                assurances that--
                          (i) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                  (B) Unlimited parental access.--Certify that 
                procedures are in effect within the State to 
                ensure that child care providers who provide 
                services for which assistance is made available 
                under this subchapter afford parents unlimited 
                access to their children and to the providers 
                caring for their children, during the normal 
                hours of operation of such providers and 
                whenever such children are in the care of such 
                providers, and provide a detailed description 
                of such procedures.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                  [(D) Consumer education information.--Certify 
                that the State will collect and disseminate to 
                parents of eligible children and the general 
                public, consumer education information that 
                will promote informed child care choices.
                  [(E) Compliance with state licensing 
                requirements.--
                          [(i) In general.--Certify that the 
                        State has in effect licensing 
                        requirements applicable to child care 
                        services provided within the State, and 
                        provide a detailed description of such 
                        requirements and of how such 
                        requirements are effectively enforced. 
                        Nothing in the preceding sentence shall 
                        be construed to require that licensing 
                        requirements be applied to specific 
                        types of providers of child care 
                        services.
                          [(ii) Indian tribes and tribal 
                        organizations.--In lieu of any 
                        licensing and regulatory requirements 
                        applicable under State and local law, 
                        the Secretary, in consultation with 
                        Indian tribes and tribal organizations, 
                        shall develop minimum child care 
                        standards (that appropriately reflect 
                        tribal needs and available resources) 
                        that shall be applicable to Indian 
                        tribes and tribal organizations 
                        receiving assistance under this 
                        subchapter.
                  [(F) Establishment of health and safety 
                requirements.--Certify that there are in effect 
                within the State, under State or local law, 
                requirements designed to protect the health and 
                safety of children that are applicable to child 
                care providers that provide services for which 
                assistance is made available under this 
                subchapter. Such requirements shall include--
                          [(i) the prevention and control of 
                        infectious diseases (including 
                        immunization);
                          [(ii) building and physical premises 
                        safety; and
                          [(iii) minimum health and safety 
                        training appropriate to the provider 
                        setting.
                [Nothing in this subparagraph shall be 
                construed to require the establishment of 
                additional health and safety requirements for 
                child care providers that are subject to health 
                and safety requirements in the categories 
                described in this subparagraph on the date of 
                enactment of this subchapter under State or 
                local law.
                  [(G) Compliance with state and local health 
                and safety requirements.--Certify that 
                procedures are in effect to ensure that child 
                care providers within the State that provide 
                services for which assistance is provided under 
                this subchapter comply with all applicable 
                State or local health and safety requirements 
                as described in subparagraph (F).
                  [(H) Meeting the needs of certain 
                populations.--Demonstrate the manner in which 
                the State will meet the specific child care 
                needs of families who are receiving assistance 
                under a State program under part A of title IV 
                of the Social Security Act, families who are 
                attempting through work activities to 
                transition off of such assistance program, and 
                families that are at risk of becoming dependent 
                on such assistance program.]
                  (D) Monitoring and inspection reports.--The 
                plan shall include a certification that the 
                State, not later than 1 year after the State 
                has in effect the policies and practices 
                described in subparagraph (K)(i), will make 
                public by electronic means, in a consumer-
                friendly and easily accessible format, 
                organized by provider, the results of 
                monitoring and inspection reports, including 
                those due to major substantiated complaints 
                about failure to comply with this subchapter 
                and State child care policies, as well as the 
                number of deaths, serious injuries, and 
                instances of substantiated child abuse that 
                occurred in child care settings each year, for 
                eligible child care providers within the State. 
                The results shall also include information on 
                the date of such an inspection and, where 
                applicable, information on corrective action 
                taken.
                  (E) Consumer education information.--The plan 
                shall include a certification that the State 
                will collect and disseminate (which 
                dissemination may be done, except as otherwise 
                specified in this subparagraph, through 
                resource and referral organizations or other 
                means as determined by the State) to parents of 
                eligible children and the general public--
                          (i) information that will promote 
                        informed child care choices and that 
                        concerns--
                                  (I) the availability of child 
                                care services provided through 
                                programs authorized under this 
                                subchapter and, if feasible, 
                                other child care services and 
                                other programs provided in the 
                                State for which the family may 
                                be eligible;
                                  (II) if available, 
                                information about the quality 
                                of providers, including 
                                information from a Quality 
                                Rating and Improvement System;
                                  (III) information, made 
                                available through a State Web 
                                site, describing the State 
                                process for licensing child 
                                care providers, the State 
                                processes for conducting 
                                background checks, and 
                                monitoring and inspections, of 
                                child care providers, and the 
                                offenses that prevent 
                                individuals and entities from 
                                serving as child care providers 
                                in the State;
                                  (IV) the availability of 
                                assistance to obtain child care 
                                services;
                                  (V) other programs for which 
                                families that receive child 
                                care services for which 
                                financial assistance is 
                                provided in accordance with 
                                this subchapter may be 
                                eligible, including the program 
                                of block grants to States for 
                                temporary assistance for needy 
                                families established under part 
                                A of title IV of the Social 
                                Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et 
                                seq.), Head Start and Early 
                                Head Start programs carried out 
                                under the Head Start Act (42 
                                U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), the 
                                program carried out under the 
                                Low-Income Home Energy 
                                Assistance Act of 1981 (42 
                                U.S.C. 8621 et seq.), the 
                                supplemental nutrition 
                                assistance program established 
                                under the Food and Nutrition 
                                Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et 
                                seq.), the special supplemental 
                                nutrition program for women, 
                                infants, and children 
                                established under section 17 of 
                                the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 
                                (42 U.S.C. 1786), the child and 
                                adult care food program 
                                established under section 17 of 
                                the Richard B. Russell National 
                                School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 
                                1766), and the Medicaid and 
                                State children's health 
                                insurance programs under titles 
                                XIX and XXI of the Social 
                                Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et 
                                seq., 1397aa et seq.);
                                  (VI) programs carried out 
                                under section 619 and part C of 
                                the Individuals with 
                                Disabilities Education Act (20 
                                U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.); and
                                  (VII) research and best 
                                practices concerning children's 
                                development, including language 
                                and cognitive development, 
                                development of early language 
                                and literacy and mathematics 
                                skills, social and emotional 
                                development, meaningful parent 
                                and family engagement, and 
                                physical health and development 
                                (particularly healthy eating 
                                and physical activity);
                          (ii) information on developmental 
                        screenings, including--
                                  (I) information on existing 
                                (as of the date of submission 
                                of the application containing 
                                the plan) resources and 
                                services the State can deploy, 
                                including the coordinated use 
                                of the Early and Periodic 
                                Screening, Diagnosis, and 
                                Treatment program under the 
                                Medicaid program carried out 
                                under title XIX of the Social 
                                Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et 
                                seq.) and developmental 
                                screening services available 
                                under section 619 and part C of 
                                the Individuals with 
                                Disabilities Education Act (20 
                                U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.), in 
                                conducting developmental 
                                screenings and providing 
                                referrals to services, when 
                                appropriate, for children who 
                                receive assistance under this 
                                subchapter; and
                                  (II) a description of how a 
                                family or eligible child care 
                                provider may utilize the 
                                resources and services 
                                described in subclause (I) to 
                                obtain developmental screenings 
                                for children who receive 
                                assistance under this 
                                subchapter who may be at risk 
                                for cognitive or other 
                                developmental delays, which may 
                                include social, emotional, 
                                physical, or linguistic delays; 
                                and
                          (iii) information, for parents 
                        receiving assistance under the program 
                        of block grants to States for temporary 
                        assistance for needy families under 
                        part A of title IV of the Social 
                        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) 
                        and low-income parents, about 
                        eligibility for assistance provided in 
                        accordance with this subchapter.
                  (F) Compliance with state licensing 
                requirements.--
                          (i) In general.--The plan shall 
                        include a certification that the State 
                        involved has in effect licensing 
                        requirements applicable to child care 
                        services provided within the State, and 
                        provide a detailed description of such 
                        requirements and of how such 
                        requirements are effectively enforced.
                          (ii) License exemption.--If the State 
                        uses funding received under this 
                        subchapter to support a child care 
                        provider that is exempt from the 
                        corresponding licensing requirements 
                        described in clause (i), the plan shall 
                        include a description stating why such 
                        licensing exemption does not endanger 
                        the health, safety, or development of 
                        children who receive services from 
                        child care providers who are exempt 
                        from such requirements.
                          (iii) Requests for relief.--As 
                        described in section 658I(d), a State 
                        may request relief from a provision of 
                        Federal law other than this subchapter 
                        that might conflict with a requirement 
                        of this subchapter, including a 
                        licensing requirement.
                  (G) Training requirements.--
                          (i) In general.--The plan shall 
                        describe the training requirements that 
                        are in effect within the State that are 
                        designed to enable child care providers 
                        to promote the social, emotional, 
                        physical, and cognitive development of 
                        children and that are applicable to 
                        child care providers that provide 
                        services for which assistance is 
                        provided in accordance with this 
                        subchapter in the State.
                          (ii) Requirements.--The plan shall 
                        provide an assurance that such training 
                        requirements--
                                  (I) provide a set of 
                                workforce and competency 
                                standards for child care 
                                providers that provide services 
                                described in clause (i);
                                  (II) are developed in 
                                consultation with the State 
                                Advisory Council on Early 
                                Childhood Education and Care 
                                (designated or established 
                                pursuant to section 
                                642B(b)(1)(A)(i) of the Head 
                                Start Act (42 U.S.C. 
                                9837b(b)(1)(A)(i)));
                                  (III) include an evidence-
                                based training framework that 
                                is designed to promote 
                                children's learning and 
                                development and school 
                                readiness and to improve child 
                                outcomes, including school 
                                readiness;
                                  (IV) incorporate knowledge 
                                and application of the State's 
                                early learning and 
                                developmental guidelines (where 
                                applicable), and the State's 
                                child development and health 
                                standards; and
                                  (V) to the extent 
                                practicable, are appropriate 
                                for a population of children 
                                that includes--
                                          (aa) different age 
                                        groups (such as 
                                        infants, toddlers, and 
                                        preschoolers);
                                          (bb) English 
                                        learners;
                                          (cc) children with 
                                        disabilities; and
                                          (dd) Native 
                                        Americans, including 
                                        Indians, as the term is 
                                        defined in section 4 of 
                                        the Indian Self-
                                        Determination and 
                                        Education Assistance 
                                        Act (25 U.S.C. 450b) 
                                        (including Alaska 
                                        Natives within the 
                                        meaning of that term), 
                                        and Native Hawaiians 
                                        (as defined in section 
                                        7207 of the Elementary 
                                        and Secondary Education 
                                        Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
                                        7517)).
                          (iii) Progression of professional 
                        development.--In developing the 
                        requirements, the State shall develop a 
                        statewide progression of professional 
                        development designed to improve the 
                        skills and knowledge of the workforce--
                                  (I) which may include the 
                                acquisition of course credit in 
                                postsecondary education or of a 
                                credential, aligned with the 
                                framework; and
                                  (II) which shall be 
                                accessible to providers 
                                supported through Indian tribes 
                                or tribal organizations that 
                                receive assistance under this 
                                subchapter.
                          (iv) Alignment.--The State shall 
                        engage the State Advisory Council on 
                        Early Childhood Education and Care, and 
                        may engage institutions of higher 
                        education (as defined in section 102 of 
                        the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
                        U.S.C. 1002)), and other training 
                        providers in aligning training 
                        opportunities with the State's training 
                        framework.
                          (v) Credentials.--The Secretary shall 
                        not require an individual or entity 
                        that provides child care services for 
                        which assistance is provided in 
                        accordance with this subchapter to 
                        acquire a credential to provide such 
                        services. Nothing in this section shall 
                        be construed to prohibit a State from 
                        requiring a credential.
                  (H) Child-to-provider ratio standards.--
                          (i) Standards.--The plan shall 
                        describe child care standards, for 
                        child care for which assistance is made 
                        available in accordance with this 
                        subchapter, appropriate to the type of 
                        child care setting involved, that 
                        address--
                                  (I) group size limits for 
                                specific age populations;
                                  (II) the appropriate ratio 
                                between the number of children 
                                and the number of providers, in 
                                terms of the age of the 
                                children in child care, as 
                                determined by the State; and
                                  (III) required qualifications 
                                for such providers.
                          (ii) Construction.--The Secretary may 
                        offer guidance to States on child-to-
                        provider ratios described in clause (i) 
                        according to setting and age group but 
                        shall not require that States maintain 
                        specific child-to-provider ratios for 
                        providers who receive assistance under 
                        this subchapter.
                  (I) Health and safety requirements.--The plan 
                shall include a certification that there are in 
                effect within the State, under State or local 
                law, requirements designed to protect the 
                health and safety of children that are 
                applicable to child care providers that provide 
                services for which assistance is made available 
                in accordance with this subchapter. Such 
                requirements--
                          (i) shall relate to matters including 
                        health and safety topics (including 
                        prevention of shaken baby syndrome and 
                        abusive head trauma) consisting of--
                                  (I) the prevention and 
                                control of infectious diseases 
                                (including immunization) and 
                                the establishment of a grace 
                                period that allows homeless 
                                children to receive services 
                                under this subchapter while 
                                their families are taking any 
                                necessary action to comply with 
                                immunization and other health 
                                and safety requirements;
                                  (II) handwashing and 
                                universal health precautions;
                                  (III) the administration of 
                                medication, consistent with 
                                standards for parental consent;
                                  (IV) the prevention of and 
                                response to emergencies due to 
                                food and other allergic 
                                reactions;
                                  (V) prevention of sudden 
                                infant death syndrome and use 
                                of safe sleeping practices;
                                  (VI) sanitary methods of food 
                                handling;
                                  (VII) building and physical 
                                premises safety;
                                  (VIII) emergency preparedness 
                                and response planning for 
                                emergencies resulting from a 
                                natural disaster, or a man-
                                caused event (such as violence 
                                at a child care facility), 
                                within the meaning of those 
                                terms under section 602(a)(1) 
                                of the Robert T. Stafford 
                                Disaster Relief and Emergency 
                                Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
                                5195a(a)(1));
                                  (IX) the handling and storage 
                                of hazardous materials and the 
                                appropriate disposal of 
                                biocontaminants;
                                  (X) identification of and 
                                protection from hazards that 
                                can cause bodily injury such as 
                                electrical hazards, bodies of 
                                water, and vehicular traffic;
                                  (XI) for providers that offer 
                                transportation, if applicable, 
                                appropriate precautions in 
                                transporting children;
                                  (XII) first aid and 
                                cardiopulmonary resuscitation; 
                                and
                                  (XIII) minimum health and 
                                safety training, to be 
                                completed pre-service or during 
                                an orientation period, 
                                appropriate to the provider 
                                setting involved that addresses 
                                each of the requirements 
                                relating to matters described 
                                in subclauses (I) through 
                                (XII); and
                          (ii) may include requirements 
                        relating to nutrition, access to 
                        physical activity, or any other subject 
                        area determined by the State to be 
                        necessary to promote child development 
                        or to protect children's health and 
                        safety.
                  (J) Compliance with state and local health 
                and safety requirements.--The plan shall 
                include a certification that procedures are in 
                effect to ensure that child care providers 
                within the State, that provide services for 
                which assistance is made available in 
                accordance with this subchapter, comply with 
                all applicable State and local health and 
                safety requirements as described in 
                subparagraph (I).
                  (K) Enforcement of licensing and other 
                regulatory requirements.--
                          (i) Certification.--The plan shall 
                        include a certification that the State, 
                        not later than 2 years after the date 
                        of enactment of the Child Care and 
                        Development Block Grant Act of 2014, 
                        shall have in effect policies and 
                        practices, applicable to licensing or 
                        regulating child care providers that 
                        provide services for which assistance 
                        is made available in accordance with 
                        this subchapter and the facilities of 
                        those providers, that--
                                  (I) ensure that individuals 
                                who are hired as licensing 
                                inspectors in the State are 
                                qualified to inspect those 
                                child care providers and 
                                facilities and have received 
                                training in related health and 
                                safety requirements, child 
                                development, child abuse 
                                prevention and detection, 
                                program management, and 
                                relevant law enforcement;
                                  (II) require licensing 
                                inspectors (or qualified 
                                inspectors designated by the 
                                lead agency) of those child 
                                care providers and facilities 
                                to perform inspections, with--
                                          (aa) not less than 1 
                                        prelicensure inspection 
                                        for compliance with 
                                        health, safety, and 
                                        fire standards, of each 
                                        such child care 
                                        provider and facility 
                                        in the State; and
                                          (bb) not less than 
                                        annually, an inspection 
                                        (which shall be 
                                        unannounced) of each 
                                        such child care 
                                        provider and facility 
                                        in the State for 
                                        compliance with all 
                                        child care licensing 
                                        standards, which shall 
                                        include an inspection 
                                        for compliance with 
                                        health, safety, and 
                                        fire standards 
                                        (although inspectors 
                                        may or may not inspect 
                                        for compliance with all 
                                        3 standards at the same 
                                        time); and
                                  (III) require the ratio of 
                                licensing inspectors to such 
                                child care providers and 
                                facilities in the State to--
                                          (aa) be maintained at 
                                        a level sufficient to 
                                        enable the State to 
                                        conduct inspections of 
                                        such child care 
                                        providers and 
                                        facilities on a timely 
                                        basis in accordance 
                                        with Federal and State 
                                        law; and
                                          (bb) be consistent 
                                        with research findings 
                                        and best practices.
                          (ii) Construction.--The Secretary may 
                        offer guidance to a State, if requested 
                        by the State, on a research-based 
                        minimum standard regarding ratios 
                        described in clause (i)(III) and 
                        provide technical assistance to the 
                        State on meeting the minimum standard 
                        within a reasonable time period, but 
                        shall not prescribe a particular ratio.
                  (L) Compliance with child abuse reporting 
                requirements.--The plan shall include a 
                certification that child care providers within 
                the State will comply with the child abuse 
                reporting requirements of section 
                106(b)(2)(B)(i) of the Child Abuse Prevention 
                and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 
                5106a(b)(2)(B)(i)).
                  (M) Meeting the needs of certain 
                populations.--The plan shall describe how the 
                State will develop and implement strategies 
                (which may include the provision of 
                compensation at higher payment rates and 
                bonuses to child care providers, the provision 
                of direct contracts or grants to community-
                based organizations, or other means determined 
                by the State) to increase the supply and 
                improve the quality of child care for--
                          (i) children in underserved areas;
                          (ii) infants and toddlers;
                          (iii) children with disabilities, as 
                        defined by the State; and
                          (iv) children who receive care during 
                        nontraditional hours.
                  (N) Protection for working parents.--
                          (i) Minimum period.--
                                  (I) 12-month period.--The 
                                plan shall demonstrate that 
                                each child who receives 
                                assistance under this 
                                subchapter in the State will be 
                                considered to meet all 
                                eligibility requirements for 
                                such assistance and will 
                                receive such assistance, for 
                                not less than 12 months before 
                                the State redetermines the 
                                eligibility of the child under 
                                this subchapter, regardless of 
                                a temporary change in the 
                                ongoing status of the child's 
                                parent as working or attending 
                                a job training or educational 
                                program or a change in family 
                                income for the child's family, 
                                if that family income does not 
                                exceed 85 percent of the State 
                                median income for a family of 
                                the same size.
                                  (II) Fluctuations in 
                                earnings.--The plan shall 
                                demonstrate how the State's 
                                processes for initial 
                                determination and 
                                redetermination of such 
                                eligibility take into account 
                                irregular fluctuations in 
                                earnings.
                          (ii) Redetermination process.--The 
                        plan shall describe the procedures and 
                        policies that are in place to ensure 
                        that working parents (especially 
                        parents in families receiving 
                        assistance under the program of block 
                        grants to States for temporary 
                        assistance for needy families under 
                        part A of title IV of the Social 
                        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.)) 
                        are not required to unduly disrupt 
                        their employment in order to comply 
                        with the State's requirements for 
                        redetermination of eligibility for 
                        assistance provided in accordance with 
                        this subchapter.
                          (iii) Period before termination.--At 
                        the option of the State, the plan shall 
                        demonstrate that the State will not 
                        terminate assistance provided to carry 
                        out this subchapter based on a factor 
                        consisting of a parent's loss of work 
                        or cessation of attendance at a job 
                        training or educational program for 
                        which the family was receiving the 
                        assistance, without continuing the 
                        assistance for a reasonable period of 
                        time, of not less than 3 months, after 
                        such loss or cessation in order for the 
                        parent to engage in a job search and 
                        resume work, or resume attendance at a 
                        job training or educational program, as 
                        soon as possible.
                          (iv) Graduated phaseout of care.--The 
                        plan shall describe the policies and 
                        procedures that are in place to allow 
                        for provision of continued assistance 
                        to carry out this subchapter, at the 
                        beginning of a new eligibility period 
                        under clause (i)(I), for children of 
                        parents who are working or attending a 
                        job training or educational program and 
                        whose family income exceeds the State's 
                        income limit to initially qualify for 
                        such assistance, if the family income 
                        for the family involved does not exceed 
                        85 percent of the State median income 
                        for a family of the same size.
                  (O) Coordination with other programs.--
                          (i) In general.--The plan shall 
                        describe how the State, in order to 
                        expand accessibility and continuity of 
                        quality early childhood education and 
                        care, and assist children enrolled in 
                        prekindergarten, Early Head Start, or 
                        Head Start programs to receive full-day 
                        services, will coordinate the services 
                        supported to carry out this subchapter 
                        with--
                                  (I) programs carried out 
                                under the Head Start Act (42 
                                U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), including 
                                the Early Head Start programs 
                                carried out under section 645A 
                                of that Act (42 U.S.C. 9840a);
                                  (II) programs carried out 
                                under part A of title I, and 
                                part B of title IV, of the 
                                Elementary and Secondary 
                                Education Act of 1965 (20 
                                U.S.C. 6311 et seq., 7171 et 
                                seq.);
                                  (III) programs carried out 
                                under section 619 and part C of 
                                the Individuals with 
                                Disabilities Education Act (20 
                                U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.);
                                  (IV) the maternal, infant, 
                                and early childhood home 
                                visiting programs authorized 
                                under section 511 of the Social 
                                Security Act (42 U.S.C. 711), 
                                as added by section 2951 of the 
                                Patient Protection and 
                                Affordable Care Act (Public Law 
                                111-148);
                                  (V) State, Indian tribe or 
                                tribal organization, and 
                                locally funded early childhood 
                                education and care programs;
                                  (VI) programs serving 
                                homeless children and services 
                                of local educational agency 
                                liaisons for homeless children 
                                and youths designated under 
                                subsection (g)(1)(J)(ii) of 
                                section 722 of the McKinney-
                                Vento Homeless Assistance Act 
                                (42 U.S.C. 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii)); 
                                and
                                  (VII) other Federal programs 
                                supporting early childhood 
                                education and care activities, 
                                and, where applicable, child 
                                care programs funded through 
                                State veterans affairs offices.
                          (ii) Rule of construction.--Nothing 
                        in clause (i) shall be construed to 
                        affect the priority of children 
                        described in clause (i) to receive 
                        full-day prekindergarten or Head Start 
                        program services.
                  (P) Public-private partnerships.--The plan 
                shall demonstrate how the State encourages 
                partnerships among State agencies, other public 
                agencies, Indian tribes and tribal 
                organizations, and private entities to leverage 
                existing service delivery systems (as of the 
                date of the submission of the application 
                containing the plan) for early childhood 
                education and care and to increase the supply 
                and quality of child care services for children 
                who are less than 13 years of age, such as by 
                implementing voluntary shared services alliance 
                models.
                  (Q) Priority for low-income populations.--The 
                plan shall describe the process the State 
                proposes to use, with respect to investments 
                made to increase access to programs providing 
                high-quality early childhood education and 
                care, to give priority for those investments to 
                children of families in areas that have 
                significant concentrations of poverty and 
                unemployment and that do not have such 
                programs.
                  (R) Consultation.--The plan shall include a 
                certification that the State has developed the 
                plan in consultation with the State Advisory 
                Council on Early Childhood Education and Care 
                designated or established pursuant to section 
                642B(b)(1)(A)(i) of the Head Start Act (42 
                U.S.C. 9837b(b)(1)(A)(i)).
                  (S) Payment practices.--The plan shall 
                include a certification that the payment 
                practices of child care providers in the State 
                that serve children who receive assistance 
                under this subchapter reflect generally 
                accepted payment practices of child care 
                providers in the State that serve children who 
                do not receive assistance under this 
                subchapter, so as to provide stability of 
                funding and encourage more child care providers 
                to serve children who receive assistance under 
                this subchapter.
                  (T) Early learning and developmental 
                guidelines.--
                          (i) In general.--The plan shall 
                        include an assurance that the State 
                        will develop or implement early 
                        learning and developmental guidelines 
                        that are appropriate for children from 
                        birth through entry into kindergarten, 
                        describing what such children should 
                        know and be able to do, and covering 
                        the essential domains of early 
                        childhood education and care and early 
                        childhood development for use statewide 
                        by child care providers. Such child 
                        care providers shall--
                                  (I) be licensed or regulated 
                                under State law; and
                                  (II) not be a relative of all 
                                children for whom the provider 
                                provides child care services.
                          (ii) Alignment.--The guidelines shall 
                        be research-based, developmentally 
                        appropriate, and aligned with State 
                        standards for education in kindergarten 
                        through grade 3.
                          (iii) Prohibition on use of funds.--
                        The plan shall include an assurance 
                        that funds received by the State to 
                        carry out this subchapter will not be 
                        used to develop or implement an 
                        assessment for children that--
                                  (I) will be the sole basis 
                                for a child care provider being 
                                determined to be ineligible to 
                                participate in the program 
                                carried out under this 
                                subchapter;
                                  (II) will be used as the 
                                primary or sole basis to 
                                provide a reward or sanction 
                                for an individual provider;
                                  (III) will be used as the 
                                primary or sole method for 
                                assessing program 
                                effectiveness; or
                                  (IV) will be used to deny 
                                eligibility to participate in 
                                the program carried out under 
                                this subchapter.
                          (iv) Exceptions.--Nothing in this 
                        subchapter shall preclude the State 
                        from using a single assessment (if 
                        appropriate) for children for--
                                  (I) supporting learning or 
                                improving a classroom 
                                environment;
                                  (II) targeting professional 
                                development to a provider;
                                  (III) determining the need 
                                for health, mental health, 
                                disability, developmental 
                                delay, or family support 
                                services;
                                  (IV) obtaining information 
                                for the quality improvement 
                                process at the State level; or
                                  (V) conducting a program 
                                evaluation for the purposes of 
                                providing program improvement 
                                and parent information.
                          (v) No federal control.--Nothing in 
                        this section shall be construed to 
                        authorize an officer or employee of the 
                        Federal Government to--
                                  (I) mandate, direct, or 
                                control a State's early 
                                learning and developmental 
                                guidelines, developed in 
                                accordance with this section;
                                  (II) establish any criterion 
                                that specifies, defines, or 
                                prescribes the standards or 
                                measures that a State uses to 
                                establish, implement, or 
                                improve--
                                          (aa) early learning 
                                        and developmental 
                                        guidelines, or early 
                                        learning standards, 
                                        assessments, or 
                                        accountability systems; 
                                        or
                                          (bb) alignment of 
                                        early learning and 
                                        developmental 
                                        guidelines with State 
                                        standards for education 
                                        in kindergarten through 
                                        grade 3; or
                                  (III) require a State to 
                                submit such standards or 
                                measures for review.
          (3) Use of block grant funds.--
                  (A) General requirement.--The State plan 
                shall provide that the State will use the 
                amounts provided to the State for each fiscal 
                year under this subchapter [as required 
                under]in accordance with subparagraphs (B) 
                through (D).
                  (B) Child care services and related 
                activities.--[The State]
                          (i) In general.--The State shall use 
                        amounts provided to the State for each 
                        fiscal year under this subchapter for 
                        child care services on a sliding fee 
                        scale basis, activities that improve 
                        the quality or availability of such 
                        services, [and any other activity that 
                        the State deems appropriate to realize 
                        any of the goals specified in 
                        paragraphs (2) through (5) of section 
                        658A(b)]activities that improve access 
                        to child care services, including use 
                        of procedures to permit immediate 
                        enrollment (after the initial 
                        eligibility determination and after a 
                        child is determined to be eligible) of 
                        homeless children while required 
                        documentation is obtained, training and 
                        technical assistance on identifying and 
                        serving homeless children and their 
                        families, and specific outreach to 
                        homeless families, and any other 
                        activity that the State determines to 
                        be appropriate to meet the purposes of 
                        this subchapter (which may include an 
                        activity described in clause (ii)), 
                        with priority being given for services 
                        provided to children of families with 
                        very low family incomes (taking into 
                        consideration family size) and to 
                        children with special needs.
                          (ii) Child care resource and referral 
                        system.--
                                  (I) In general.--A State may 
                                use amounts described in clause 
                                (i) to establish or support a 
                                system of local or regional 
                                child care resource and 
                                referral organizations that is 
                                coordinated, to the extent 
                                determined appropriate by the 
                                State, by a statewide public or 
                                private nonprofit, community-
                                based or regionally based, lead 
                                child care resource and 
                                referral organization.
                                  (II) Local or regional 
                                organizations.--The local or 
                                regional child care resource 
                                and referral organizations 
                                supported as described in 
                                subclause (I) shall--
                                          (aa) provide parents 
                                        in the State with 
                                        consumer education 
                                        information referred to 
                                        in paragraph (2)(E) 
                                        (except as otherwise 
                                        provided in that 
                                        paragraph), concerning 
                                        the full range of child 
                                        care options, analyzed 
                                        by provider, including 
                                        child care provided 
                                        during nontraditional 
                                        hours and through 
                                        emergency child care 
                                        centers, in their 
                                        political subdivisions 
                                        or regions;
                                          (bb) to the extent 
                                        practicable, work 
                                        directly with families 
                                        who receive assistance 
                                        under this subchapter 
                                        to offer the families 
                                        support and assistance, 
                                        using information 
                                        described in item (aa), 
                                        to make an informed 
                                        decision about which 
                                        child care providers 
                                        they will use, in an 
                                        effort to ensure that 
                                        the families are 
                                        enrolling their 
                                        children in high-
                                        quality care;
                                          (cc) collect and 
                                        analyze data on the 
                                        coordination of 
                                        services and supports, 
                                        including services 
                                        under section 619 and 
                                        part C of the 
                                        Individuals with 
                                        Disabilities Education 
                                        Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 
                                        1431 et seq.), for 
                                        children with 
                                        disabilities (as 
                                        defined in section 602 
                                        of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
                                        1401));
                                          (dd) collect and 
                                        analyze data on the 
                                        supply of and demand 
                                        for child care in 
                                        political subdivisions 
                                        or regions within the 
                                        State and submit such 
                                        data and analysis to 
                                        the State;
                                          (ee) work to 
                                        establish partnerships 
                                        with public agencies 
                                        and private entities to 
                                        increase the supply and 
                                        quality of child care 
                                        services in the State; 
                                        and
                                          (ff) as appropriate, 
                                        coordinate their 
                                        activities with the 
                                        activities of the State 
                                        lead agency and local 
                                        agencies that 
                                        administer funds made 
                                        available in accordance 
                                        with this subchapter.
                  (C) Limitation on administrative costs.--* * 
                *
                  (D) Assistance for certain families.--A State 
                shall ensure that a substantial portion of the 
                amounts available (after the State has complied 
                with the requirement of section 418(b)(2) of 
                the Social Security Act with respect to each of 
                the fiscal years [1997 through 2002]2015 
                through 2020) to the State to carry out 
                activities under this subchapter in each fiscal 
                year is used to provide assistance to low-
                income working families other than [families 
                described in paragraph (2)(H)]families with 
                children described in clause (i), (ii), (iii), 
                or (iv) of paragraph (2)(M).
                  (E) Direct services.--From amounts provided 
                to a State for a fiscal year to carry out this 
                subchapter, the State shall--
                          (i) reserve the minimum amount 
                        required to be reserved under section 
                        658G, and the funds for costs described 
                        in subparagraph (C); and
                          (ii) from the remainder, use not less 
                        than 70 percent to fund direct services 
                        (provided by the State) in accordance 
                        with paragraph (2)(A).
          [(4) Payment rates.--
                  [(A) In general.--The State plan shall 
                certify that payment rates for the provision of 
                child care services for which assistance is 
                provided under this subchapter are sufficient 
                to ensure equal access for eligible children to 
                comparable child care services in the State or 
                substate area that are provided to children 
                whose parents are not eligible to receive 
                assistance under this subchapter or for child 
                care assistance under any other Federal or 
                State programs and shall provide a summary of 
                the facts relied on by the State to determine 
                that such rates are sufficient to ensure such 
                access.
                  [(B) Construction.--Nothing in this paragraph 
                shall be construed to create a private right of 
                action.]
          (4) Payment rates.--
                  (A) In general.--The State plan shall certify 
                that payment rates for the provision of child 
                care services for which assistance is provided 
                in accordance with this subchapter are 
                sufficient to ensure equal access for eligible 
                children to child care services that are 
                comparable to child care services in the State 
                or substate area involved that are provided to 
                children whose parents are not eligible to 
                receive assistance under this subchapter or to 
                receive child care assistance under any other 
                Federal or State program and shall provide a 
                summary of the facts relied on by the State to 
                determine that such rates are sufficient to 
                ensure such access.
                  (B) Survey.--The State plan shall--
                          (i) demonstrate that the State has, 
                        after consulting with the State 
                        Advisory Council on Early Childhood 
                        Education and Care designated or 
                        established in section 642B(b)(1)(A)(i) 
                        of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 
                        9837b(b)(1)(A)(i)), local child care 
                        program administrators, local child 
                        care resource and referral agencies, 
                        and other appropriate entities, 
                        developed and conducted (not earlier 
                        than 2 years before the date of the 
                        submission of the application 
                        containing the State plan) a 
                        statistically valid and reliable survey 
                        of the market rates for child care 
                        services in the State (that reflects 
                        variations in the cost of child care 
                        services by geographic area, type of 
                        provider, and age of child);
                          (ii) demonstrate that the State 
                        prepared a detailed report containing 
                        the results of the State market rates 
                        survey conducted pursuant to clause 
                        (i), and made the results of the survey 
                        widely available (not later than 30 
                        days after the completion of such 
                        survey) through periodic means, 
                        including posting the results on the 
                        Internet;
                          (iii) describe how the State will set 
                        payment rates for child care services, 
                        for which assistance is provided in 
                        accordance with this subchapter--
                                  (I) in accordance with the 
                                results of the market rates 
                                survey conducted pursuant to 
                                clause (i);
                                  (II) taking into 
                                consideration the cost of 
                                providing higher quality child 
                                care services than were 
                                provided under this subchapter 
                                before the date of enactment of 
                                the Child Care and Development 
                                Block Grant Act of 2014; and
                                  (III) without, to the extent 
                                practicable, reducing the 
                                number of families in the State 
                                receiving such assistance to 
                                carry out this subchapter, 
                                relative to the number of such 
                                families on the date of 
                                enactment of that Act; and
                          (iv) describe how the State will 
                        provide for timely payment for child 
                        care services provided in accordance 
                        with this subchapter.
                  (C) Construction.--
                          (i) No private right of action.--
                        Nothing in this paragraph shall be 
                        construed to create a private right of 
                        action.
                          (ii) No prohibition of certain 
                        different rates.--Nothing in this 
                        subchapter shall be construed to 
                        prevent a State from differentiating 
                        the payment rates described in 
                        subparagraph (B)(iii) on the basis of 
                        such factors as--
                                  (I) geographic location of 
                                child care providers (such as 
                                location in an urban or rural 
                                area);
                                  (II) the age or particular 
                                needs of children (such as the 
                                needs of children with 
                                disabilities and children 
                                served by child protective 
                                services);
                                  (III) whether the providers 
                                provide child care during 
                                weekend and other 
                                nontraditional hours; or
                                  (IV) the State's 
                                determination that such 
                                differentiated payment rates 
                                are needed to enable a parent 
                                to choose child care that is of 
                                high quality.
          (5) Sliding fee scale.--The State plan shall provide 
        that the State will establish and periodically revise, 
        by rule, a sliding fee scale that provides for cost 
        sharing (that is not a barrier to families receiving 
        assistance under this subchapter) by the families that 
        receive child care services for which assistance is 
        provided under this subchapter.
  (d) Approval of Application.--* * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

SEC. 658F. LIMITATIONS ON STATE ALLOTMENTS.

  (a) No Entitlement to Contract or Grant.--Nothing in this 
subchapter shall be construed--
          (1) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (b) Construction of Facilities.--
          (1) In general.--* * *
          (2) Sectarian agency or organization.--In the case of 
        a sectarian agency or organization, no funds made 
        available under this subchapter may be used for the 
        purposes described in paragraph (1) except to the 
        extent that renovation or repair is necessary to bring 
        the facility of such agency or organization into 
        compliance with health and safety requirements referred 
        to in [section 658E(c)(2)(F)]section 658E(c)(2)(I).

[SEC. 658G. ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CHILD CARE.]

  [A State that receives funds to carry out this subchapter for 
a fiscal year, shall use not less than 4 percent of the amount 
of such funds for activities that are designed to provide 
comprehensive consumer education to parents and the public, 
activities that increase parental choice, and activities 
designed to improve the quality and availability of child care 
(such as resource and referral services).]

SEC. 658G. ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CHILD CARE.

  (a) Reservation.--
          (1) Reservation for activities relating to the 
        quality of child care services.--A State that receives 
        funds to carry out this subchapter for a fiscal year 
        referred to in paragraph (2) shall reserve and use a 
        portion of such funds, in accordance with paragraph 
        (2), for activities provided directly, or through 
        grants or contracts with local child care resource and 
        referral organizations or other appropriate entities, 
        that are designed to improve the quality of child care 
        services and increase parental options for, and access 
        to, high-quality child care, provided in accordance 
        with this subchapter.
          (2) Amount of reservations.--Such State shall reserve 
        and use--
                  (A) to carry out the activities described in 
                paragraph (1), not less than--
                          (i) 6 percent of the funds described 
                        in paragraph (1), for the first and 
                        second full fiscal years after the date 
                        of enactment of the Child Care and 
                        Development Block Grant Act of 2014;
                          (ii) 8 percent of such funds, for the 
                        third and fourth full fiscal years 
                        after the date of enactment; and
                          (iii) 10 percent of such funds, for 
                        the fifth full fiscal year after the 
                        date of enactment and each succeeding 
                        fiscal year; and
                  (B) in addition to the funds reserved under 
                subparagraph (A), 3 percent of the funds 
                described in paragraph (1), for the first full 
                fiscal year after the date of enactment and 
                each succeeding fiscal year, to carry out the 
                activities described in paragraph (1) and 
                subsection (b)(4), as such activities relate to 
                the quality of care for infants and toddlers.
  (b) Activities.--Funds reserved under subsection (a) shall be 
used to carry out not fewer than 2 of the following activities:
          (1) Supporting the training, professional 
        development, and professional advancement of the child 
        care workforce through activities such as--
                  (A) offering child care providers training 
                and professional development that is 
                intentional and sequential and leads to a 
                higher level of skill or certification;
                  (B) establishing or supporting programs 
                designed to increase the retention and improve 
                the competencies of child care providers, 
                including wage incentive programs and 
                initiatives that establish tiered payment rates 
                for providers that meet or exceed child care 
                services guidelines, as defined by the State;
                  (C) offering training, professional 
                development, and educational opportunities for 
                child care providers that relate to the use of 
                developmentally appropriate and age-appropriate 
                curricula, and early childhood teaching 
                strategies, that are scientifically based and 
                aligned with the social, emotional, physical, 
                and cognitive development of children, 
                including offering specialized training for 
                child care providers who care for infants and 
                toddlers, children who are English learners, 
                and children with disabilities (as defined in 
                section 602 of the Individuals with 
                Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401));
                  (D) providing training concerning the State 
                early learning and developmental guidelines, 
                where applicable, including training concerning 
                early mathematics and early language and 
                literacy development and effective 
                instructional practices to support mathematics 
                and language and literacy development in young 
                children;
                  (E) incorporating effective use of data to 
                guide instruction and program improvement;
                  (F) including effective behavior management 
                strategies and training, including positive 
                behavioral interventions and supports, that 
                promote positive social and emotional 
                development and reduce challenge behaviors;
                  (G) at the option of the State, incorporating 
                feedback from experts at the State's 
                institutions of higher education, as defined in 
                section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
                (20 U.S.C. 1002), and other early childhood 
                development experts and early childhood 
                education and care experts;
                  (H) providing training corresponding to the 
                nutritional and physical activity needs of 
                children to promote healthy development;
                  (I) providing training or professional 
                development for child care providers to serve 
                and support children with disabilities;
                  (J) providing training and outreach on 
                engaging parents and families in culturally and 
                linguistically appropriate ways to expand their 
                knowledge, skills, and capacity to become 
                meaningful partners in supporting their 
                children's learning and development; and
                  (K) providing training or professional 
                development for child care providers regarding 
                the early neurological development of children.
          (2) Supporting the use of the early learning and 
        developmental guidelines described in section 
        658E(c)(2)(T) by--
                  (A) developing and implementing the State's 
                early learning and developmental guidelines; 
                and
                  (B) providing technical assistance to enhance 
                early learning for preschool and school-aged 
                children in order to promote language and 
                literacy skills, foster school readiness, and 
                support later school success.
          (3) Developing and implementing a tiered quality 
        rating system for child care providers, which shall--
                  (A) support and assess the quality of child 
                care providers in the State;
                  (B) build on licensing standards and other 
                State regulatory standards for such providers;
                  (C) be designed to improve the quality of 
                different types of child care providers;
                  (D) describe the quality of early learning 
                facilities;
                  (E) build the capacity of State early 
                childhood education and care programs and 
                communities to promote parents' and families' 
                understanding of the State's early childhood 
                education and care system and the ratings of 
                the programs in which the child is enrolled; 
                and
                  (F) provide, to the maximum extent 
                practicable, financial incentives and other 
                supports designed to help child care providers 
                achieve and sustain higher levels of quality.
          (4) Improving the supply and quality of child care 
        programs and services for infants and toddlers through 
        activities, which may include--
                  (A) establishing or expanding neighborhood-
                based high-quality comprehensive family and 
                child development centers, which may serve as 
                resources to child care providers in order to 
                improve the quality of early childhood 
                education and care and early childhood 
                development services provided to infants and 
                toddlers from low-income families and to help 
                eligible child care providers improve their 
                capacity to offer high-quality care to infants 
                and toddlers from low-income families;
                  (B) establishing or expanding the operation 
                of community or neighborhood-based family child 
                care networks;
                  (C) supporting statewide networks of infant 
                and toddler child care specialists, including 
                specialists who have knowledge regarding infant 
                and toddler development and curriculum and 
                program implementation as well as the ability 
                to coordinate services with early intervention 
                specialists who provide services for infants 
                and toddlers with disabilities under part C of 
                the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 
                (20 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.);
                  (D) carrying out initiatives to improve the 
                quality of the infant and toddler child care 
                workforce, such as providing relevant training, 
                professional development, or mentoring 
                opportunities and linking such opportunities to 
                career pathways, developing career pathways for 
                providers in such workforce, and improving the 
                State credentialing of eligible providers 
                caring for infants and toddlers;
                  (E) if applicable, developing infant and 
                toddler components within the State's quality 
                rating system described in paragraph (3) for 
                child care providers for infants and toddlers, 
                or the development of infant and toddler 
                components in a State's child care licensing 
                regulations or early learning and developmental 
                guidelines;
                  (F) improving the ability of parents to 
                access information about high-quality infant 
                and toddler care; and
                  (G) carrying out other activities determined 
                by the State to improve the quality of infant 
                and toddler care provided in the State, and for 
                which there is evidence that the activities 
                will lead to improved infant and toddler health 
                and safety, infant and toddler development, or 
                infant and toddler well-being, including 
                providing training (including training in safe 
                sleep practices, first aid, and cardiopulmonary 
                resuscitation).
          (5) Promoting broad child care provider participation 
        in the quality rating system described in paragraph 
        (3).
          (6) Establishing or expanding a statewide system of 
        child care resource and referral services.
          (7) Facilitating compliance with State requirements 
        for inspection, monitoring, training, and health and 
        safety, and with State licensing standards.
          (8) Evaluating and assessing the quality and 
        effectiveness of child care programs and services 
        offered in the State, including evaluating how such 
        programs and services may improve the overall school 
        readiness of young children.
          (9) Supporting child care providers in the pursuit of 
        accreditation by an established national accrediting 
        body with demonstrated, valid, and reliable program 
        standards of high quality.
          (10) Supporting State or local efforts to develop or 
        adopt high-quality program standards relating to 
        health, mental health, nutrition, physical activity, 
        and physical development and providing resources to 
        enable eligible child care providers to meet, exceed, 
        or sustain success in meeting or exceeding, such 
        standards.
          (11) Carrying out other activities determined by the 
        State to improve the quality of child care services 
        provided in the State, and for which measurement of 
        outcomes relating to improved provider preparedness, 
        child safety, child well-being, or school readiness is 
        possible.
  (c) Certification.--Beginning with fiscal year 2015, at the 
beginning of each fiscal year, the State shall annually submit 
to the Secretary a certification containing an assurance that 
the State was in compliance with subsection (a) during the 
preceding fiscal year and a description of how the State used 
funds received under this subchapter to comply with subsection 
(a) during that preceding fiscal year.
  (d) Reporting Requirements.--Each State receiving funds under 
this subchapter shall prepare and submit an annual report to 
the Secretary, which shall include information about--
          (1) the amount of funds that are reserved under 
        subsection (a);
          (2) the activities carried out under this section; 
        and
          (3) the measures that the State will use to evaluate 
        the State's progress in improving the quality of child 
        care programs and services in the State.
  (e) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary shall offer 
technical assistance, in accordance with section 658I(a)(3), 
which may include technical assistance through the use of 
grants or cooperative agreements, to States for the activities 
described in subsection (b).
  (f) Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be construed 
as providing the Secretary the authority to regulate, direct, 
or dictate State child care quality activities or progress in 
implementing those activities.

SEC. 658H. CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS.

  (a) In General.--A State that receives funds to carry out 
this subchapter shall have in effect--
          (1) requirements, policies, and procedures to require 
        and conduct criminal background checks for child care 
        staff members (including prospective child care staff 
        members) of child care providers described in 
        subsection (c)(1); and
          (2) licensing, regulation, and registration 
        requirements, as applicable, that prohibit the 
        employment of child care staff members as described in 
        subsection (c).
  (b) Requirements.--A criminal background check for a child 
care staff member under subsection (a) shall include--
          (1) a search of each State criminal and sex offender 
        registry or repository in the State where the child 
        care staff member resides and each State where such 
        staff member resided during the preceding 10 years;
          (2) a search of State-based child abuse and neglect 
        registries and databases in the State where the child 
        care staff member resides and each State where such 
        staff member resided during the preceding 10 years;
          (3) a search of the National Crime Information 
        Center;
          (4) a Federal Bureau of Investigation fingerprint 
        check using the Integrated Automated Fingerprint 
        Identification System; and
          (5) a search of the National Sex Offender Registry 
        established under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and 
        Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 16901 et seq.).
  (c) Prohibitions.--
          (1) Child care staff members.--A child care staff 
        member shall be ineligible for employment by a child 
        care provider that is licensed, regulated, or 
        registered by the State or for which assistance is 
        provided in accordance with this subchapter, if such 
        individual--
                  (A) refuses to consent to the criminal 
                background check described in subsection (b);
                  (B) knowingly makes a materially false 
                statement in connection with such criminal 
                background check;
                  (C) is registered, or is required to be 
                registered, on a State sex offender registry or 
                repository or the National Sex Offender 
                Registry established under the Adam Walsh Child 
                Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 
                16901 et seq.); or
                  (D) has been convicted of a felony consisting 
                of--
                          (i) murder, as described in section 
                        1111 of title 18, United States Code;
                          (ii) child abuse or neglect;
                          (iii) a crime against children, 
                        including child pornography;
                          (iv) spousal abuse;
                          (v) a crime involving rape or sexual 
                        assault;
                          (vi) kidnaping;
                          (vii) arson;
                          (viii) physical assault or battery; 
                        or
                          (ix) subject to subsection (e)(4), a 
                        drug-related offense committed during 
                        the preceding 5 years.
          (2) Child care providers.--A child care provider 
        described in paragraph (1) shall be ineligible for 
        assistance provided in accordance with this subchapter 
        if the provider employs a staff member who is 
        ineligible for employment under paragraph (1).
  (d) Submission of Requests for Background Checks.--
          (1) In general.--A child care provider covered by 
        subsection (c) shall submit a request, to the 
        appropriate State agency designated by a State, for a 
        criminal background check described in subsection (b), 
        for each child care staff member (including prospective 
        child care staff members) of the provider.
          (2) Staff members.--Subject to paragraph (4), in the 
        case of an individual who became a child care staff 
        member before the date of enactment of the Child Care 
        and Development Block Grant Act of 2014, the provider 
        shall submit such a request--
                  (A) prior to the last day described in 
                subsection (i)(1); and
                  (B) not less often than once during each 5-
                year period following the first submission date 
                under this paragraph for that staff member.
          (3) Prospective staff members.--Subject to paragraph 
        (4), in the case of an individual who is a prospective 
        child care staff member on or after that date of 
        enactment, the provider shall submit such a request--
                  (A) prior to the date the individual becomes 
                a child care staff member of the provider; and
                  (B) not less often than once during each 5-
                year period following the first submission date 
                under this paragraph for that staff member.
          (4) Background check for another child care 
        provider.--A child care provider shall not be required 
        to submit a request under paragraph (2) or (3) for a 
        child care staff member if--
                  (A) the staff member received a background 
                check described in subsection (b)--
                          (i) within 5 years before the latest 
                        date on which such a submission may be 
                        made; and
                          (ii) while employed by or seeking 
                        employment by another child care 
                        provider within the State;
                  (B) the State provided to the first provider 
                a qualifying background check result, 
                consistent with this subchapter, for the staff 
                member; and
                  (C) the staff member is employed by a child 
                care provider within the State, or has been 
                separated from employment from a child care 
                provider within the State for a period of not 
                more than 180 consecutive days.
  (e) Background Check Results and Appeals.--
          (1) Background check results.--The State shall carry 
        out the request of a child care provider for a criminal 
        background check as expeditiously as possible, but in 
        not to exceed 45 days after the date on which such 
        request was submitted, and shall provide the results of 
        the criminal background check to such provider and to 
        the current or prospective staff member.
          (2) Privacy.--
                  (A) In general.--The State shall provide the 
                results of the criminal background check to the 
                provider in a statement that indicates whether 
                a child care staff member (including a 
                prospective child care staff member) is 
                eligible or ineligible for employment described 
                in subsection (c), without revealing any 
                disqualifying crime or other related 
                information regarding the individual.
                  (B) Ineligible staff member.--If the child 
                care staff member is ineligible for such 
                employment due to the background check, the 
                State will, when providing the results of the 
                background check, include information related 
                to each disqualifying crime, in a report to the 
                staff member or prospective staff member.
                  (C) Public release of results.--No State 
                shall publicly release or share the results of 
                individual background checks, however, such 
                results of background checks may be included in 
                the development or dissemination of local or 
                statewide data related to background checks, if 
                such results are not individually identifiable.
          (3) Appeals.--
                  (A) In general.--The State shall provide for 
                a process by which a child care staff member 
                (including a prospective child care staff 
                member) may appeal the results of a criminal 
                background check conducted under this section 
                to challenge the accuracy or completeness of 
                the information contained in such member's 
                criminal background report.
                  (B) Appeals process.--The State shall ensure 
                that--
                          (i) each child care staff member 
                        shall be given notice of the 
                        opportunity to appeal;
                          (ii) a child care staff member will 
                        receive instructions about how to 
                        complete the appeals process if the 
                        child care staff member wishes to 
                        challenge the accuracy or completeness 
                        of the information contained in such 
                        member's criminal background report; 
                        and
                          (iii) the appeals process is 
                        completed in a timely manner for each 
                        child care staff member.
          (4) Review.--The State may allow for a review process 
        through which the State may determine that a child care 
        staff member (including a prospective child care staff 
        member) disqualified for a crime specified in 
        subsection (c)(1)(D)(ix) is eligible for employment 
        described in subsection (c)(1), notwithstanding 
        subsection (c). The review process shall be consistent 
        with title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 
        U.S.C. 2000e et seq.).
          (5) No private right of action.--Nothing in this 
        section shall be construed to create a private right of 
        action if the provider is in compliance with State 
        regulations and requirements.
  (f) Fees for Background Checks.--Fees that a State may charge 
for the costs of processing applications and administering a 
criminal background check as required by this section shall not 
exceed the actual costs to the State for the processing and 
administration.
  (g) Construction.--
          (1) Disqualification for other crimes.--Nothing in 
        this section shall be construed to prevent a State from 
        disqualifying individuals as child care staff members 
        based on their conviction for crimes not specifically 
        listed in this section that bear upon the fitness of an 
        individual to provide care for and have responsibility 
        for the safety and well-being of children.
          (2) Rights and remedies.--Nothing in this section 
        shall be construed to alter or otherwise affect the 
        rights and remedies provided for child care staff 
        members residing in a State that disqualifies 
        individuals as child care staff members for crimes not 
        specifically provided for under this section.
  (h) Definitions.--In this section--
          (1) the term ``child care provider'' means a center-
        based child care provider, a family child care 
        provider, or another provider of child care services 
        for compensation and on a regular basis that--
                  (A) is not an individual who is related to 
                all children for whom child care services are 
                provided; and
                  (B) is licensed, regulated, or registered 
                under State law or receives assistance provided 
                in accordance with this subchapter; and
          (2) the term ``child care staff member'' means an 
        individual (other than an individual who is related to 
        all children for whom child care services are 
        provided)--
                  (A) who is employed by a child care provider 
                for compensation;
                  (B) whose activities involve the care or 
                supervision of children for a child care 
                provider or unsupervised access to children who 
                are cared for or supervised by a child care 
                provider; or
                  (C) who is a family child care provider.
  (i) Effective Date.--
          (1) In general.--A State that receives funds under 
        this subchapter shall meet the requirements of this 
        section for the provision of criminal background checks 
        for child care staff members described in subsection 
        (d)(1) not later than the last day of the second full 
        fiscal year after the date of enactment of the Child 
        Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014.
          (2) Extension.--The Secretary may grant a State an 
        extension of time, of not more than 1 fiscal year, to 
        meet the requirements of this section if the State 
        demonstrates a good faith effort to comply with the 
        requirements of this section.
          (3) Penalty for noncompliance.--Except as provided in 
        paragraphs (1) and (2), for any fiscal year that a 
        State fails to comply substantially with the 
        requirements of this section, the Secretary shall 
        withhold 5 percent of the funds that would otherwise be 
        allocated to that State in accordance with this 
        subchapter for the following fiscal year.

SEC. 658I. ADMINISTRATION AND ENFORCEMENT.

  (a) Administration.--The Secretary shall--
          (1) * * *
          (2) collect, publish, and make available to the 
        public a listing of State child care standards at least 
        once every 3 years; [and]
          [(3) provide technical assistance to assist States to 
        carry out this subchapter, including assistance on a 
        reimbursable basis.]
          (3) provide technical assistance to States (which may 
        include providing assistance on a reimbursable basis), 
        consistent with (as appropriate) scientifically valid 
        research, to carry out this subchapter; and
          (4) disseminate, for voluntary informational 
        purposes, information on practices that scientifically 
        valid research indicates are most successful in 
        improving the quality of programs that receive 
        assistance under this subchapter.
  (b) Enforcement.--
          (1) Review of compliance with state plan.--* * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (c) Prohibition.--Nothing in this subchapter shall be 
construed as providing the Secretary the authority to permit 
States to alter the eligibility requirements for eligible 
children, including work requirements that apply to the parents 
of eligible children.
  (d) Request for Relief.--
          (1) In general.--The State may submit to the 
        Secretary a request for relief from any provision of 
        Federal law (including a regulation, policy, or 
        procedure) affecting the delivery of child care 
        services with Federal funds, other than this 
        subchapter, that conflicts with a requirement of this 
        subchapter.
          (2) Contents.--Such request shall--
                  (A) detail the provision of Federal law that 
                conflicts with that requirement;
                  (B) describe how modifying compliance with 
                that provision of Federal law to meet the 
                requirements of this subchapter will, by 
                itself, improve delivery of child care services 
                for children in the State; and
                  (C) certify that the health, safety, and 
                well-being of children served through 
                assistance received under this subchapter will 
                not be compromised as a result.
          (3) Consultation.--The Secretary shall consult with 
        the State submitting the request and the head of each 
        Federal agency (other than the Secretary) with 
        responsibility for administering the Federal law 
        detailed in the State's request. The consulting parties 
        shall jointly identify--
                  (A) any provision of Federal law (including a 
                regulation, policy, or procedure) for which a 
                waiver is necessary to enable the State to 
                provide services in accordance with the 
                request; and
                  (B) any corresponding waiver.
          (4) Waivers.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, and after the joint identification described in 
        paragraph (3), the head of the Federal agency involved 
        shall have the authority to waive any statutory 
        provision administered by that agency, or any 
        regulation, policy, or procedure issued by that agency, 
        that has been so identified, unless the head of the 
        Federal agency determines that such a waiver is 
        inconsistent with the objectives of this subchapter or 
        the Federal law from which relief is sought.
          (5) Approval.--Within 90 days after the receipt of a 
        State's request under this subsection, the Secretary 
        shall inform the State of the Secretary's approval or 
        disapproval of the request. If the plan is disapproved, 
        the Secretary shall inform the State, in writing, of 
        the reasons for the disapproval and give the State the 
        opportunity to amend the request.
          (6) Duration.--The Secretary may approve a request 
        under this subsection for a period of not more than 3 
        years, and may renew the approval for additional 
        periods of not more than 3 years.
          (7) Termination.--The Secretary shall terminate 
        approval of a request for relief authorized under this 
        subsection if the Secretary determines, after notice 
        and opportunity for a hearing, that the performance of 
        a State granted relief under this subsection has been 
        inadequate, or if such relief is no longer necessary to 
        achieve its original purposes.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

SEC. 658K. REPORTS AND AUDITS.

  (a) Reports.--
          (1) Collection of information by states.--
                  (A) In general.--* * *
                  (B) Required information.--The information 
                required under this subparagraph shall include, 
                with respect to a family unit receiving 
                assistance under this subchapter information 
                concerning--
                          (i) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                          (ix) the cost of child care for such 
                        families; [and]
                          (x) the average hours per month of 
                        such care; and
                          (xi) whether the children receiving 
                        assistance under this subchapter are 
                        homeless children;
                during the period for which such information is 
                required to be submitted.
                  (C) Submission to secretary.--* * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

          (2) Annual reports.--Not later than December 31, 
        [1997]2014, and every 12 months thereafter, a State 
        described in paragraph (1)(A) shall prepare and submit 
        to the Secretary a report that includes aggregate data 
        concerning--
                  (A) the number of child care providers that 
                received funding under this subchapter as 
                separately identified based on the types of 
                providers listed in [section 658P(5)]section 
                658P(6);
                  (B) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

[SEC. 658L. REPORT BY SECRETARY.]SEC. 658L. REPORTS, HOTLINE, AND WEB 
                    SITE.

  [Not later](a) Report by Secretary.--Not later than July 31, 
[1998]2016, and biennially thereafter, the Secretary shall 
prepare and submit [to the Committee on Economic and 
Educational Opportunities of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate]to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions of the Senate a report that contains a summary and 
analysis of the data and information provided to the Secretary 
in the State reports submitted under section 658K. Such report 
shall include an assessment, and where appropriate, 
recommendations for the Congress concerning efforts that should 
be undertaken to improve the access of the public to quality 
and affordable child care in the United States.
  (b) National Toll-Free Hotline and Web Site.--
          (1) In general.--The Secretary shall operate a 
        national toll-free hotline and Web site, to--
                  (A) develop and disseminate publicly 
                available child care consumer education 
                information for parents and help parents access 
                safe, affordable, and quality child care in 
                their community; and
                  (B) to allow persons to report (anonymously 
                if desired) suspected child abuse or neglect, 
                or violations of health and safety 
                requirements, by an eligible child care 
                provider that receives assistance under this 
                subchapter.
          (2) Requirements.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
        the hotline and Web site meet the following 
        requirements:
                  (A) Referral to local child care providers.--
                The Web site shall be hosted by 
                ``childcare.gov''. The Web site shall enable a 
                child care consumer to enter a zip code and 
                obtain a referral to local child care providers 
                described in subparagraph (B) within a 
                specified search radius.
                  (B) Information.--The Web site shall provide 
                to consumers, directly or through linkages to 
                State databases, at a minimum--
                          (i) a localized list of all State 
                        licensed child care providers;
                          (ii) any provider-specific 
                        information from a Quality Rating and 
                        Improvement System or information about 
                        other quality indicators, to the extent 
                        the information is publicly available 
                        and to the extent practicable;
                          (iii) any other provider-specific 
                        information about compliance with 
                        licensing, and health and safety, 
                        requirements to the extent the 
                        information is publicly available and 
                        to the extent practicable;
                          (iv) referrals to local resource and 
                        referral organizations from which 
                        consumers can find more information 
                        about child care providers, and a 
                        recommendation that consumers consult 
                        with the organizations when selecting a 
                        child care provider; and
                          (v) State information about child 
                        care subsidy programs and other 
                        financial supports available to 
                        families.
                  (C) Nationwide capacity.--The Web site and 
                hotline shall have the capacity to help 
                families in every State and community in the 
                Nation.
                  (D) Information at all hours.--The Web site 
                shall provide, to parents and families, access 
                to information about child care 24 hours a day.
                  (E) Services in different languages.--The Web 
                site and hotline shall ensure the widest 
                possible access to services for families who 
                speak languages other than English.
                  (F) High-quality consumer education and 
                referral.--The Web site and hotline shall 
                ensure that families have access to child care 
                consumer education and referral services that 
                are consistent and of high quality.
          (3) Prohibition.--Nothing in this subsection shall be 
        construed to allow the Secretary to compel States to 
        provide additional data and information that is 
        currently (as of the date of enactment of the Child 
        Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014) not 
        publicly available, or is not required by this 
        subchapter.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

SEC. 658O. AMOUNTS RESERVED; ALLOTMENTS.

  (a) Amounts Reserved.--
          (1) Territories and possessions.--* * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

          (3) National toll-free hotline and web site.--The 
        Secretary shall reserve not less than $1,000,000 of the 
        amount appropriated under this subchapter for each 
        fiscal year for the operation of a national toll-free 
        hotline and Web site, under section 658L(b).

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (c) Payments for the Benefit of Indian Children.--
          (1) General authority.--* * *
          (2) Applications and requirements.--An application 
        for a grant or contract under this section shall 
        provide that:
                  (A) Coordination.--* * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                  (D) Licensing and standards.--In lieu of any 
                licensing and regulatory requirements 
                applicable under State or local law, the 
                Secretary, in consultation with Indian tribes 
                and tribal organizations, shall develop minimum 
                child care standards that shall be applicable 
                to Indian tribes and tribal organizations 
                receiving assistance under this subchapter. 
                Such standards shall appropriately reflect 
                Indian tribe and tribal organization needs and 
                available resources, and shall include 
                standards requiring a publicly available 
                application, health and safety standards, and 
                standards requiring a reservation of funds for 
                activities to improve the quality of child care 
                provided to Indian children.
          (3) Consideration of secretarial approval.--* * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

SEC. 658P. DEFINITIONS.

  As used in this subchapter:
          (1) Caregiver.--* * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

          [(4) Eligible child.--The term ``eligible child'' 
        means an individual--
                  [(A) who is less than 13 years of age;
                  [(B) whose family income does not exceed 85 
                percent of the State median income for a family 
                of the same size; and
                  [(C) who--
                          [(i) resides with a parent or parents 
                        who are working or attending a job 
                        training or educational program; or
                          [(ii) is receiving, or needs to 
                        receive, protective services and 
                        resides with a parent or parents not 
                        described in clause (i).]
          (3) Child with a disability.--The term ``child with a 
        disability'' means--
                  (A) a child with a disability, as defined in 
                section 602 of the Individuals with 
                Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401);
                  (B) a child who is eligible for early 
                intervention services under part C of the 
                Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 
                U.S.C. 1431 et seq.);
                  (C) a child who is less than 13 years of age 
                and who is eligible for services under section 
                504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 
                U.S.C. 794); and
                  (D) a child with a disability, as defined by 
                the State involved.
          (4) Eligible child.--The term ``eligible child'' 
        means an individual--
                  (A) who is less than 13 years of age;
                  (B) whose family income does not exceed 85 
                percent of the State median income for a family 
                of the same size; and
                  (C) who--
                          (i) resides with a parent or parents 
                        who are working or attending a job 
                        training or educational program; or
                          (ii) is receiving, or needs to 
                        receive, protective services and 
                        resides with a parent or parents not 
                        described in clause (i).
          (5) English learner.--The term ``English learner'' 
        means an individual who is limited English proficient, 
        as defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801) or 
        section 637 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9832).
          [(5)](6) Eligible child care provider.--The term 
        ``eligible child care provider'' means--
                  (A) a center-based child care provider, a 
                group home child care provider, a family child 
                care provider, or other provider of child care 
                services for compensation that--
                          (i) is licensed, regulated, or 
                        registered under State law as described 
                        in [section 658E(c)(2)(E)]section 
                        658E(c)(2)(F); and
                          (ii) satisfies the State and local 
                        requirements, including those referred 
                        to in [section 658E(c)(2)(F)]section 
                        658E(c)(2)(I);
                applicable to the child care services it 
                provides; or
                  (B) * * *
          [(6)](7) Family child care provider.--* * *
          [(7)](8) Indian tribe.--* * *
          [(8)](9) Lead agency.--The term ``lead agency'' means 
        the agency [designated under section 
        658B(a).]designated or established under section 
        658D(a).
          [(9)](10) Parent.--The term ``parent'' includes a 
        legal guardian, foster parent, or other person standing 
        in loco parentis.
          (11) Scientifically valid research.--The term 
        ``scientifically valid research'' includes applied 
        research, basic research, and field-initiated research, 
        for which the rationale, design, and interpretation are 
        soundly developed in accordance with principles of 
        scientific research.
   [Paragraph 10 was repealed by section 614 of P.L. 104-193]

          [(11)](12) Secretary.--* * *
          [(12)](13) Sliding fee scale.--* * *
          [(13)](14) State.--* * *
          [(14)](15) Tribal organization.--
                  (A) In general.--* * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

SEC. 319C-1. IMPROVING STATE AND LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH SECURITY.

  (a) In General.-- * * *
  (b) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive an award 
under subsection (a), an entity shall--
          (1)(A) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

          (2) prepare and submit to the Secretary an 
        application at such time, and in such manner, and 
        containing such information as the Secretary may 
        require, including--
                  (A) an All-Hazards Public Health Emergency 
                Preparedness and Response Plan which shall 
                include--
                          (i) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                          (vii) a description of how the 
                        entity, as applicable and appropriate, 
                        will coordinate with State emergency 
                        preparedness and response plans in 
                        public health emergency preparedness, 
                        including State educational agencies 
                        (as defined in section 9101(41) of the 
                        Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
                        of 1965) and State child care lead 
                        agencies (designated or established 
                        under section 658D of the Child Care 
                        and Development Block Grant Act of 
                        1990);

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                                  
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