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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 976 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 976

   To establish and expand child care programs for parents who work 
             nontraditional hours, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 27, 2023

 Mr. Young (for himself and Ms. Hassan) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   To establish and expand child care programs for parents who work 
             nontraditional hours, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``After Hours Child Care Act''.

SEC. 2. CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT INNOVATION FUND.

    (a) Establishment.--The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act 
of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9857 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 658P as section 658T, and 
        moving that section 658T to follow section 658S; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 658U. CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT INNOVATION FUND.

    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to--
            ``(1) improve child care access for parents working hours 
        outside of traditional 9 to 5 work hours, such as parents 
        working an evening, night, or weekend shift; and
            ``(2) address the needs of working parents with young 
        children, so that the parents are able to stay attached to the 
        workforce, attain eligibility for promotions and salary 
        increases, and amass savings.
    ``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Child care program.--The term `child care program' 
        means the child care activities of an eligible child care 
        provider.
            ``(2) Nontraditional work hours.--The term `nontraditional 
        work hours' means work hours at least 25 percent of which--
                    ``(A) are before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. on a 
                weekday;
                    ``(B) are on a Saturday or Sunday; or
                    ``(C) are scheduled within 7 days before required 
                attendance at work for those work hours.
            ``(3) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary 
        of Health and Human Services.
            ``(4) State educational agency; local educational agency.--
        The terms `State educational agency' and `local educational 
        agency' have the meanings given the terms in section 8101 of 
        the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        7801 et seq.).
    ``(c) General Authority.--
            ``(1) Grants.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
        enactment of the After Hours Child Care Act, the Secretary 
        shall establish a pilot program, through which the Secretary 
        shall award grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities 
        to pay for the Federal share of the cost of--
                    ``(A) expanding capacity for an existing (as of 
                January 1, 2024) child care program, including such a 
                program of a family child care provider to serve 
                families in which a parent is working nontraditional 
                work hours;
                    ``(B) entering into an enrollment-based contract 
                with--
                            ``(i) an eligible child care provider to 
                        serve such families; or
                            ``(ii) a fiscal intermediary such as a 
                        staffed network of family child care providers, 
                        child care resource and referral organization, 
                        or entity operating a child care facilities 
                        fund for the services of multiple eligible 
                        child care providers to serve such families;
                    ``(C) planning activities, including conducting a 
                needs assessment and outreach to existing eligible 
                child care providers (existing on the date of the 
                outreach);
                    ``(D) establishing an onsite child care program at 
                a workplace to serve such families;
                    ``(E) expanding capacity for an onsite child care 
                program at a workplace to serve such families; or
                    ``(F) establishing a child care program, including 
                a program of a family child care provider with the 
                primary goal of serving such families.
            ``(2) Duration.--The Secretary shall award the grant for a 
        period of 5 years. A grant awarded under this section may not 
        be renewed.
            ``(3) Amount.--The Secretary shall award the grant in an 
        amount of not less than $25,000 and not more than $500,000.
    ``(d) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
this section, an entity shall be--
            ``(1) an eligible child care provider; or
            ``(2) a partnership of--
                    ``(A) an eligible child care provider; and
                    ``(B) a lead agency, business, child care resource 
                and referral organization, community development 
                financial institution, staffed network of family child 
                care providers, another intermediary with experience 
                supporting child care providers, or another appropriate 
                entity.
    ``(e) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, an entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary 
may require.
    ``(f) Use of Funds.--An entity that receives a grant under this 
section may use the grant funds for activities that may include--
            ``(1) staffing the child care program involved;
            ``(2) improving the child care facility and related 
        equipment;
            ``(3) establishing or improving the curriculum of the child 
        care program;
            ``(4) assisting eligible child care providers in meeting 
        health and safety requirements, achieving licensure or 
        registration as a child care provider, or improving quality;
            ``(5) acquiring other items needed for the child care 
        program; and
            ``(6) providing training in the prevention of sudden infant 
        death syndrome and safe sleep practices.
    ``(g) Match.--The non-Federal share of the cost described in 
subsection (c)(1) shall be 25 percent.
    ``(h) Report.--Not less often than every 2 years, the Secretary 
shall prepare and submit to Congress a report that includes information 
on the number of children served under this section, the employment 
status of their parents, general information to demonstrate the impact 
of activities carried out under grants under this section on child care 
availability, and other information relevant to the grants made under 
this section.
    ``(i) Relationship to Other Requirements.--None of the requirements 
of this subchapter, other than section 658T, shall apply to this 
section. No reference in this subchapter to `this subchapter' shall be 
considered to include this section.
    ``(j) Authorization.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out this section $10,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2024 
through 2028.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Application provisions.--Section 658E(c)(2) of the 
        Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 
        9858c(c)(2)) is amended--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A)(i)(II), by striking 
                ``658P(2)'' and inserting ``658T(2)''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (K)(i)(IV), by striking 
                ``658P(6)(B)'' and inserting ``658T(6)(B)''.
            (2) Report provisions.--Section 658K(a)(2) of the Child 
        Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 
        9858i(a)(2)) is amended--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``658P(6)'' 
                and inserting ``658T(6)''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (F), by striking ``658P(6)(B)'' 
                and inserting ``658T(6)(B)''.
                                 <all>
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