I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7683 

To amend the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to 

make projects that directly or indirectly increase the accessibility of 

affordable, quality child care eligible for certain grants, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 20, 2020 

Ms. FINKENAUER (for herself and Mr. HAGEDORN) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a 

period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Works and Economic Development 

Act of 1965 to make projects that directly or indirectly 

increase the accessibility of affordable, quality child care 

eligible for certain grants, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Affordable Child Care 

5 for Economic Strategies and Success Act’’ or the ‘‘AC6 CESS Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR PUBLIC WORKS AND ECONOMIC DE2 VELOPMENT. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 201 of the Public Works 

4 and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3141) 

5 is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (a)— 

7 (A) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

8 and inserting a semicolon; 

9 (B) in paragraph (2) by striking the period 

10 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

12 ‘‘(3) planning, developing, or creating a project 

13 or facility that will directly or indirectly increase the 

14 accessibility of affordable, quality child care.’’; and 

15 (2) in subsection (b)(1)— 

16 (A) in subparagraph (B) by striking ‘‘; or’’ 

17 and inserting a semicolon; 

18 (B) in subparagraph (C) by striking the 

19 semicolon and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

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

21 ‘‘(D) increase the accessibility of afford22 able, quality child care;’’. 

23 (b) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 120 days after 

24 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

25 Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of Health 

26 and Human Services, shall issue such regulations as are 


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1 necessary to establish criteria for whether a project di2 rectly or indirectly increases the accessibility of affordable, 

3 quality child care. Such criteria shall consider: 

4 (1) The availability, validity, and accessibility of 

5 timely data. 

6 (2) The extent to which a project contributes to 

7 a family’s financial security. 

8 (3) The extent to which a project address child 

9 care needs in child care deserts or areas otherwise 

10 recognized as being in shortage. 

11 (c) CHILD CARE DESERT DEFINED.—In this section, 

12 the term ‘‘child care desert’’ means— 

13 (1) an area— 

14 (A) within a census tract; and 

15 (B) in which the number of children who 

16 are under age 5 (as determined using the most 

17 recent American Community Survey 1-year Es18 timates, as published by the Bureau of the Cen19 sus) is more than 3 times the number of slots 

20 provided by child care providers who are li21 censed or registered by the State involved; or 

22 (2) a community that the State or tribal entity 

23 involved determines has a low supply of quality, af24 fordable child care. 


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1 SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR PLANNING AND GRANTS FOR ADMIN2 ISTRATIVE EXPENSES. 

3 Section 203(b)(4) of the Public Works and Economic 

4 Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3143(b)(4)) is 

5 amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘(4) formulating and implementing an economic 

7 development program that includes systematic ef8 forts to— 

9 ‘‘(A) reduce unemployment and increase 

10 incomes; or 

11 ‘‘(B) increase the accessibility of afford12 able, quality child care.’’. 

13 SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR TRAINING, RESEARCH, AND TECH14 NICAL ASSISTANCE. 

15 Section 207(a)(2) of the Public Works and Economic 

16 Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3147(a)(2)) is 

17 amended— 

18 (1) in subparagraph (H) by striking ‘‘; and’’; 

19 (2) by redesignating subparagraph (I) as sub20 paragraph (J); and 

21 (3) by inserting after subparagraph (H) the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(I) the planning, development, or creation 

24 of a project or facility that will directly or indi25 rectly increase the accessibility of affordable, 

26 quality child care; and’’. 


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1 SEC. 5. COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 

2 STRATEGIES. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 302(a)(3)(A) of the Pub4 lic Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 

5 U.S.C. 3162(a)(3)(A)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(includ6 ing by directly or indirectly increasing the accessibility of 

7 affordable, quality child care)’’ after ‘‘promotes economic 

8 development and opportunity’’. 

9 (b) GUIDANCE.—In carrying out the amendment 

10 made under subsection (a), the Secretary of Commerce, 

11 in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 

12 Services, shall issue guidance on how to include the acces13 sibility of affordable, quality child care in a comprehensive 

14 economic development strategy developed under section 

15 302 of the Public Works and Economic Development Act 

16 of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3162). 

Æ 


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