I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3595

To amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to 

authorize financial assistance to permit infants to be cared for at home 

by parents. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 21, 2003

Ms. DELAURO (for herself, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. 

DELAHUNT, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, and Ms. LEE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 

Workforce 

A BILL

To amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant 

Act of 1990 to authorize financial assistance to permit 

infants to be cared for at home by parents.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘At-Home Infant Care 

5 Act of 2004’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 
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1 (1) In the majority of American families, par2 ents, whether married or single, must work to pro3 vide economic security for their families and, not the 

4 least, for the infants newly welcomed into the family. 

5 Fifty-five percent of women with children less than 

6 1 year of age are part of the workforce, while 73 

7 percent of women with children 1 year of age or 

8 older are in the workforce. 

9 (2) Research shows that the quality and nature 

10 of care-taking in the first months and years of life 

11 are critical to a newborn’s subsequent brain develop12 ment, social development, and well-being. Healthy 

13 early development depends on nurturing and depend14 able relationships. 

15 (3) Research also shows that there is an ex16 treme shortage of quality, affordable child care for 

17 infants. Numerous studies document lack of infant 

18 care and, in particular, affordable care that meets 

19 basic health and safety standards, particularly in 

20 rural areas. The current number of licensed infant 

21 slots can only meet 18 percent of the potential need. 

22 The shortage is even more acute in rural areas, es23 pecially those with a high percentage of low-wage 

24 residents. 
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1 (4) For the well-being of American children, 

2 and for the economic security of the families on 

3 which they depend, working parents should be able 

4 to provide this care themselves without undermining 

5 family economic stability. 

6 SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE CHILD CARE AND DEVELOP7 MENT BLOCK GRANT ACT OF 1990. 

8 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

9 658B of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act 

10 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858) is amended—

11 (1) by inserting ‘‘(other than section 658H)’’ 

12 after ‘‘subchapter’’, 

13 (2) by inserting ‘‘(a) In General.—’’ before 

14 ‘‘There’’, and 

15 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(b) INFANT CARE AT HOME.—There is authorized 

17 to be appropriated for each of the fiscal years 2005, 2006, 

18 and 2007 such sums as may be necessary to carry out 

19 section 658H.’’. 

20 (b) APPLICATION AND PLAN.—Section 658E(c) of 

21 the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 

22 (42 U.S.C. 9858c(c)) is amended—

23 (1) in paragraph (2)—
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1 (A) in subparagraph (A)(i) by inserting 

2 ‘‘(other than section 658H)’’ after ‘‘sub3 chapter’’, and 

4 (B) in subparagraph (B) by inserting 

5 ‘‘(other than section 658H)’’ after ‘‘sub6 chapter’’, and 

7 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(I) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—Certify 

9 that the State agrees that funds appropriated 

10 under section 658B for any period will be used 

11 to supplement, and not to supplant, non-Fed12 eral funds that in the absence of funds appro13 priated under section 658B would be made 

14 available to provide child care services and in15 fant care.’’, 

16 (2) in paragraph (3)—

17 (A) in subparagraph (B) by inserting 

18 ‘‘(other than section 658H)’’ after ‘‘sub19 chapter’’, 

20 (B) in subparagraph (D) by inserting 

21 ‘‘(other than section 658H)’’ after ‘‘sub22 chapter’’, and 

23 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(E) ASSISTANCE FOR INFANT CARE AT

25 HOME.—If a State elects to receive funds ap-
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1 propriated under section 658B(b) for a fiscal 

2 year, the State plan shall provide that the State 

3 will use such funds to carry out section 658H 

4 in accordance with the applicable requirements 

5 of this subchapter.’’, and 

6 (3) in paragraph (5) by inserting ‘‘and, if appli7 cable, by eligible parent caregivers who receive finan8 cial assistance provided under section 658H’’ before 

9 the period at the end. 

10 (c) ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CHILD

11 CARE.—Section 658G of the Child Care and Development 

12 Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858e) is amended 

13 by inserting ‘‘(other than section 658H)’’ after ‘‘sub14 chapter’’. 

15 (d) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR INFANT CARE PRO16 VIDED AT HOME BY PARENTS.—The Child Care and De17 velopment Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et 

18 seq.) is amended by inserting after section 658G the fol19 lowing: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 658H. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR INFANT CARE 

21 PROVIDED AT HOME BY PARENTS. 

22 ‘‘(a) AUTHORITY TO MAKE GRANTS.—With funds 

23 appropriated under section 658B(b) for a fiscal year, the 

24 Secretary may make grants equitably on the basis of the 

25 demonstrated need of parent caregivers for financial as-
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1 sistance, to eligible States to provide financial assistance 

2 to enable eligible parents to become the caregivers for eli3 gible infants at home. 

4 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY OF PARENTS.—A parent of an eli5 gible infant is eligible to receive financial assistance pro6 vided under subsection (a) by a State only if such par7 ent—

8 ‘‘(1) is a member of a family that does not re9 ceive child care services for such infant provided 

10 with funds appropriated under section 658B(a) for 

11 such fiscal year; 

12 ‘‘(2)(A) is a member of a single-parent family 

13 and—

14 ‘‘(i) worked not less than 60 hours (in the 

15 aggregate); or 

16 ‘‘(ii) worked not less than 40 hours (in the 

17 aggregate) and attended not less than 20 hours 

18 (in the aggregate) a postsecondary education or 

19 training program; 

20 in the 3-month period ending on the date such parent ap21 plies for such assistance; or 

22 ‘‘(B) is a member of a 2-parent family in which 

23 both parents worked 120 hours (in the aggregate) in 

24 the 3-month period ending on the date such parent 

25 applies for such assistance; 
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1 ‘‘(3)(A) is a member of a single-parent family 

2 and agrees to use such assistance to personally care 

3 for such infant at home in lieu of placing such in4 fant with an eligible child care provider; or 

5 ‘‘(B) is a member of a 2-parent family and—

6 ‘‘(i) such parent agrees to use such assist7 ance to personally care for such infant at home 

8 in lieu of placing such infant with a child care 

9 provider; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) the other parent will work for com11 pensation during such period; and 

12 ‘‘(4) to comply with any other requirement ap13 plicable under this subchapter. 

14 ‘‘(c) LIMITATION.—Financial assistance may not be 

15 provided under this section to an eligible parent for a pe16 riod exceeding 24 months (in the aggregate) during the 

17 lifetime of such parent.’’. 

18 (e) EVALUATION AND REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Sec19 tion 658L of the Child Care and Development Block 

20 Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858j) is amended—

21 (1) by inserting ‘‘(a) Biennial Reports.—’’ be22 fore ‘‘Not’’, and 

23 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(b) REPORT ON AT-HOME INFANT CARE.—Not 

25 later than 4 years after the date of the enactment of At-
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1 Home Infant Care Act of 2004, the Secretary shall sub2 mit, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and 

3 the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, a report con4 taining a summary of an evaluation carried out by the Sec5 retary to determine the effectiveness of infant care pro6 vided under section 658H. Such evaluation shall include 

7 information relating to—

8 ‘‘(1) experiences of the States in developing and 

9 operating programs under section 658H, including 

10 design issues and issues in coordinating infant care 

11 under such section with child care services provided 

12 under other provisions of this subchapter; 

13 ‘‘(2) characteristics of families seeking to re14 ceive financial assistance, and of families receiving 

15 such assistance, provided under such section; 

16 ‘‘(3) the length of time families receive such as17 sistance under such section and the reasons families 

18 cease to receive such assistance; 

19 ‘‘(4) the employment patterns of families re20 ceive such assistance under such section and the ef21 fect receiving such assistance has on current or sub22 sequent employment; and 

23 ‘‘(5) the costs and benefits of such assistance.’’. 
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1 (f) AMOUNTS RESERVED; ALLOTMENTS.—Section 

2 658O of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act 

3 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858m) is amended—

4 (1) in subsection (a)—

5 (A) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘this sub6 chapter’’ and inserting ‘‘section 658B(a)’’, and 

7 (B) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘658B’’ 

8 and inserting ‘‘658B(a)’’, and 

9 (2) in subsection (e)(3) by inserting ‘‘(other 

10 than section 658H)’’ after ‘‘subchapter’’. 

11 (g) DEFINITIONS.—Section 658P of the Child Care 

12 and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

13 9858n) is amended—

14 (1) by inserting after paragraph (5) the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(5A) ELIGIBLE INFANT.—The term ‘eligible 

17 infant’ means an eligible child who—

18 ‘‘(A) is less than 2 years of age; and 

19 ‘‘(B) whose family income does not exceed 

20 85 percent of the State median income for a 

21 family of the same size.’’, and 

22 (2) in paragraph (8) by striking ‘‘658B(a)’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘658D(a)’’. 

24 (h) MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS.—Section 658S of 

25 the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 
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1 (42 U.S.C. 9858q) is amended by inserting ‘‘(including 

2 financial assistance provided under section 658H)’’ after 

3 ‘‘subchapter’’. 

4 SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

5 Section 418(c) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

6 618(c)) is amended—

7 (1) by inserting ‘‘(excluding section 658H)’’ 

8 after ‘‘such Act’’ the 1st place it appears, and 

9 (2) by inserting ‘‘(excluding the requirements 

10 and limitations applicable to assistance provided 

11 under section 658H)’’ after ‘‘such Act’’ the 2d place 

12 it appears.

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