113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1086 

AN ACT 

To reauthorize and improve the Child Care and Development 

Block Grant Act of 1990, 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, 
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Child Care and Devel3 opment Block Grant Act of 2014’’. 

4 SEC. 2. SHORT TITLE AND PURPOSES. 

5 Section 658A of the Child Care and Development 

6 Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9801 note) is amend7 ed to read as follows: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 658A. SHORT TITLE AND PURPOSES. 

9 ‘‘(a) SHORT TITLE.—This subchapter may be cited 

10 as the ‘Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 

11 1990’. 

12 ‘‘(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this subchapter 

13 are— 

14 ‘‘(1) to allow each State maximum flexibility in 

15 developing child care programs and policies that best 

16 suit the needs of children and parents within that 

17 State; 

18 ‘‘(2) to promote parental choice to empower 

19 working parents to make their own decisions regard20 ing the child care that best suits their family’s 

21 needs; 

22 ‘‘(3) to assist States in providing high-quality 

23 child care services to parents trying to achieve inde24 pendence from public assistance; 

25 ‘‘(4) to assist States in improving the overall 

26 quality of child care services and programs by imple-
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1 menting the health, safety, licensing, training, and 

2 oversight standards established in this subchapter 

3 and in State law (including regulations); 

4 ‘‘(5) to improve school readiness by having chil5 dren, families, and child care providers engage in ac6 tivities, in child care settings, that are develop7 mentally appropriate and age-appropriate for the 

8 children and that promote children’s language and 

9 literacy and mathematics skills, social and emotional 

10 development, physical health and development, and 

11 approaches to learning; 

12 ‘‘(6) to encourage States to provide consumer 

13 education information to help parents make in14 formed choices about child care services and to pro15 mote involvement by parents and family members in 

16 the education of their children in child care settings; 

17 ‘‘(7) to increase the number and percentage of 

18 low-income children in high-quality child care set19 tings; and 

20 ‘‘(8) to improve the coordination and delivery of 

21 early childhood education and care (including child 

22 care).’’. 

23 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

24 Section 658B of the Child Care and Development 

25 Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858) is amended 
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1 by striking ‘‘subchapter’’ and all that follows, and insert2 ing ‘‘subchapter, such sums as may be necessary for each 

3 of fiscal years 2015 through 2020.’’. 

4 SEC. 4. LEAD AGENCY. 

5 (a) DESIGNATION.—Section 658D(a) of the Child 

6 Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 

7 U.S.C. 9858b(a)) is amended— 

8 (1) by striking ‘‘chief executive officer’’ and in9 serting ‘‘Governor’’; and 

10 (2) by striking ‘‘designate’’ and all that follows 

11 and inserting ‘‘designate an agency (which may be 

12 an appropriate collaborative agency), or establish a 

13 joint interagency office, that complies with the re14 quirements of subsection (b) to serve as the lead 

15 agency for the State under this subchapter.’’. 

16 (b) COLLABORATION WITH TRIBES.—Section 

17 658D(b)(1) of the Child Care and Development Block 

18 Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858b(b)(1)) is amended— 

19 (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

20 the end; 

21 (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period 

22 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

24 ‘‘(E) at the option of an Indian tribe or 

25 tribal organization in the State, collaborate and 
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1 coordinate with such Indian tribe or tribal orga2 nization in the development of the State plan.’’. 

3 SEC. 5. APPLICATION AND PLAN. 

4 (a) PERIOD.—Section 658E(b) of the Child Care and 

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

6 9858c(b)) is amended, by striking ‘‘2-year’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘3-year’’. 

8 (b) POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.—Section 658E(c) 

9 of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 

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

11 (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘or estab12 lished’’ after ‘‘designated’’; 

13 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

14 (A) in subparagraph (B), by inserting a 

15 comma after ‘‘care of such providers’’; 

16 (B) by striking subparagraphs (D) through 

17 (H); and 

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

19 ‘‘(D) MONITORING AND INSPECTION RE20 PORTS.—The plan shall include a certification 

21 that the State, not later than 1 year after the 

22 State has in effect the policies and practices de23 scribed in subparagraph (K)(i), will make public 

24 by electronic means, in a consumer-friendly and 

25 easily accessible format, organized by provider, 
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1 the results of monitoring and inspection re2 ports, including those due to major substan3 tiated complaints about failure to comply with 

4 this subchapter and State child care policies, as 

5 well as the number of deaths, serious injuries, 

6 and instances of substantiated child abuse that 

7 occurred in child care settings each year, for el8 igible child care providers within the State. The 

9 results shall also include information on the 

10 date of such an inspection and, where applica11 ble, information on corrective action taken. 

12 ‘‘(E) CONSUMER EDUCATION INFORMA13 TION.—The plan shall include a certification 

14 that the State will collect and disseminate 

15 (which dissemination may be done, except as 

16 otherwise specified in this subparagraph, 

17 through resource and referral organizations or 

18 other means as determined by the State) to 

19 parents of eligible children and the general pub20 lic— 

21 ‘‘(i) information that will promote in22 formed child care choices and that con23 cerns— 

24 ‘‘(I) the availability of child care 

25 services provided through programs 
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1 authorized under this subchapter and, 

2 if feasible, other child care services 

3 and other programs provided in the 

4 State for which the family may be eli5 gible; 

6 ‘‘(II) if available, information 

7 about the quality of providers, includ8 ing information from a Quality Rating 

9 and Improvement System; 

10 ‘‘(III) information, made avail11 able through a State website, describ12 ing the State process for licensing 

13 child care providers, the State proc14 esses for conducting background 

15 checks, and monitoring and inspec16 tions, of child care providers, and the 

17 offenses that prevent individuals and 

18 entities from serving as child care 

19 providers in the State; 

20 ‘‘(IV) the availability of assist21 ance to obtain child care services; 

22 ‘‘(V) other programs for which 

23 families that receive child care serv24 ices for which financial assistance is 

25 provided in accordance with this sub-
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1 chapter may be eligible, including the 

2 program of block grants to States for 

3 temporary assistance for needy fami4 lies established under part A of title 

5 IV of the Social Security Act (42 

6 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), Head Start and 

7 Early Head Start programs carried 

8 out under the Head Start Act (42 

9 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), the program 

10 carried out under the Low-Income 

11 Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 

12 (42 U.S.C. 8621 et seq.), the supple13 mental nutrition assistance program 

14 established under the Food and Nutri15 tion Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et 

16 seq.), the special supplemental nutri17 tion program for women, infants, and 

18 children established under section 17 

19 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 

20 (42 U.S.C. 1786), the child and adult 

21 care food program established under 

22 section 17 of the Richard B. Russell 

23 National School Lunch Act (42 

24 U.S.C. 1766), and the Medicaid and 

25 State children’s health insurance pro-
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1 grams under titles XIX and XXI of 

2 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

3 1396 et seq., 1397aa et seq.); 

4 ‘‘(VI) programs carried out 

5 under section 619 and part C of the 

6 Individuals with Disabilities Edu7 cation Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et 

8 seq.); and 

9 ‘‘(VII) research and best prac10 tices concerning children’s develop11 ment, including language and cog12 nitive development, development of 

13 early language and literacy and math14 ematics skills, social and emotional 

15 development, meaningful parent and 

16 family engagement, and physical 

17 health and development (particularly 

18 healthy eating and physical activity); 

19 ‘‘(ii) information on developmental 

20 screenings, including— 

21 ‘‘(I) information on existing (as 

22 of the date of submission of the appli23 cation containing the plan) resources 

24 and services the State can deploy, in25 cluding the coordinated use of the 
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1 Early and Periodic Screening, Diag2 nosis, and Treatment program under 

3 the Medicaid program carried out 

4 under title XIX of the Social Security 

5 Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) and de6 velopmental screening services avail7 able under section 619 and part C of 

8 the Individuals with Disabilities Edu9 cation Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et 

10 seq.), in conducting developmental 

11 screenings and providing referrals to 

12 services, when appropriate, for chil13 dren who receive assistance under this 

14 subchapter; and 

15 ‘‘(II) a description of how a fam16 ily or eligible child care provider may 

17 utilize the resources and services de18 scribed in subclause (I) to obtain de19 velopmental screenings for children 

20 who receive assistance under this sub21 chapter who may be at risk for cog22 nitive or other developmental delays, 

23 which may include social, emotional, 

24 physical, or linguistic delays; and 
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1 ‘‘(iii) information, for parents receiv2 ing assistance under the program of block 

3 grants to States for temporary assistance 

4 for needy families under part A of title IV 

5 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 

6 et seq.) and low-income parents, about eli7 gibility for assistance provided in accord8 ance with this subchapter. 

9 ‘‘(F) COMPLIANCE WITH STATE LICENSING

10 REQUIREMENTS.— 

11 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The plan shall in12 clude a certification that the State involved 

13 has in effect licensing requirements appli14 cable to child care services provided within 

15 the State, and provide a detailed descrip16 tion of such requirements and of how such 

17 requirements are effectively enforced. 

18 ‘‘(ii) LICENSE EXEMPTION.—If the 

19 State uses funding received under this sub20 chapter to support a child care provider 

21 that is exempt from the corresponding li22 censing requirements described in clause 

23 (i), the plan shall include a description 

24 stating why such licensing exemption does 

25 not endanger the health, safety, or develop-
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1 ment of children who receive services from 

2 child care providers who are exempt from 

3 such requirements. 

4 ‘‘(iii) REQUESTS FOR RELIEF.—As de5 scribed in section 658I(d), a State may re6 quest relief from a provision of Federal law 

7 other than this subchapter that might con8 flict with a requirement of this subchapter, 

9 including a licensing requirement. 

10 ‘‘(G) TRAINING REQUIREMENTS.— 

11 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The plan shall de12 scribe the training requirements that are 

13 in effect within the State that are designed 

14 to enable child care providers to promote 

15 the social, emotional, physical, and cog16 nitive development of children and that are 

17 applicable to child care providers that pro18 vide services for which assistance is pro19 vided in accordance with this subchapter in 

20 the State. 

21 ‘‘(ii) REQUIREMENTS.—The plan shall 

22 provide an assurance that such training re23 quirements— 

24 ‘‘(I) provide a set of workforce 

25 and competency standards for child 
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1 care providers that provide services 

2 described in clause (i); 

3 ‘‘(II) are developed in consulta4 tion with the State Advisory Council 

5 on Early Childhood Education and 

6 Care (designated or established pursu7 ant to section 642B(b)(1)(A)(i) of the 

8 Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 

9 9837b(b)(1)(A)(i))); 

10 ‘‘(III) include an evidence-based 

11 training framework that is designed to 

12 promote children’s learning and devel13 opment and school readiness and to 

14 improve child outcomes, including 

15 school readiness and early language 

16 and literacy development; 

17 ‘‘(IV) incorporate knowledge and 

18 application of the State’s early learn19 ing and developmental guidelines 

20 (where applicable), and the State’s 

21 child development and health stand22 ards; and 

23 ‘‘(V) to the extent practicable, 

24 are appropriate for a population of 

25 children that includes— 
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1 ‘‘(aa) different age groups 

2 (such as infants, toddlers, and 

3 preschoolers); 

4 ‘‘(bb) English learners; 

5 ‘‘(cc) children with disabil6 ities; and 

7 ‘‘(dd) Native Americans, in8 cluding Indians, as the term is 

9 defined in section 4 of the Indian 

10 Self-Determination and Edu11 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 

12 450b) (including Alaska Natives 

13 within the meaning of that term), 

14 and Native Hawaiians (as de15 fined in section 7207 of the Ele16 mentary and Secondary Edu17 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

18 7517)). 

19 ‘‘(iii) PROGRESSION OF PROFES20 SIONAL DEVELOPMENT.—In developing the 

21 requirements, the State shall develop a 

22 statewide progression of professional devel23 opment designed to improve the skills and 

24 knowledge of the workforce— 
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1 ‘‘(I) which may include the acqui2 sition of course credit in postsec3 ondary education or of a credential, 

4 aligned with the framework; and 

5 ‘‘(II) which shall be accessible to 

6 providers supported through Indian 

7 tribes or tribal organizations that re8 ceive assistance under this sub9 chapter. 

10 ‘‘(iv) ALIGNMENT.—The State shall 

11 engage the State Advisory Council on 

12 Early Childhood Education and Care, and 

13 may engage institutions of higher edu14 cation (as defined in section 102 of the 

15 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

16 1002)), and other training providers in 

17 aligning training opportunities with the 

18 State’s training framework. 

19 ‘‘(v) CREDENTIALS.—The Secretary 

20 shall not require an individual or entity 

21 that provides child care services for which 

22 assistance is provided in accordance with 

23 this subchapter to acquire a credential to 

24 provide such services. Nothing in this sec-
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1 tion shall be construed to prohibit a State 

2 from requiring a credential. 

3 ‘‘(H) CHILD-TO-PROVIDER RATIO STAND4 ARDS.— 

5 ‘‘(i) STANDARDS.—The plan shall de6 scribe child care standards, for child care 

7 for which assistance is made available in 

8 accordance with this subchapter, appro9 priate to the type of child care setting in10 volved, that address— 

11 ‘‘(I) group size limits for specific 

12 age populations; 

13 ‘‘(II) the appropriate ratio be14 tween the number of children and the 

15 number of providers, in terms of the 

16 age of the children in child care, as 

17 determined by the State; and 

18 ‘‘(III) required qualifications for 

19 such providers. 

20 ‘‘(ii) CONSTRUCTION.—The Secretary 

21 may offer guidance to States on child-to22 provider ratios described in clause (i) ac23 cording to setting and age group but shall 

24 not require that States maintain specific 
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1 child-to-provider ratios for providers who 

2 receive assistance under this subchapter. 

3 ‘‘(I) HEALTH AND SAFETY REQUIRE4 MENTS.—The plan shall include a certification 

5 that there are in effect within the State, under 

6 State or local law, requirements designed to 

7 protect the health and safety of children that 

8 are applicable to child care providers that pro9 vide services for which assistance is made avail10 able in accordance with this subchapter. Such 

11 requirements— 

12 ‘‘(i) shall relate to matters including 

13 health and safety topics (including preven14 tion of shaken baby syndrome and abusive 

15 head trauma) consisting of— 

16 ‘‘(I) the prevention and control of 

17 infectious diseases (including immuni18 zation) and the establishment of a 

19 grace period that allows homeless chil20 dren and children in foster care to re21 ceive services under this subchapter 

22 while their families (including foster 

23 families) are taking any necessary ac24 tion to comply with immunization and 

25 other health and safety requirements; 
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1 ‘‘(II) handwashing and universal 

2 health precautions; 

3 ‘‘(III) the administration of 

4 medication, consistent with standards 

5 for parental consent; 

6 ‘‘(IV) the prevention of and re7 sponse to emergencies due to food and 

8 other allergic reactions; 

9 ‘‘(V) prevention of sudden infant 

10 death syndrome and use of safe sleep11 ing practices; 

12 ‘‘(VI) sanitary methods of food 

13 handling; 

14 ‘‘(VII) building and physical 

15 premises safety; 

16 ‘‘(VIII) emergency preparedness 

17 and response planning for emer18 gencies resulting from a natural dis19 aster, or a man-caused event (such as 

20 violence at a child care facility), with21 in the meaning of those terms under 

22 section 602(a)(1) of the Robert T. 

23 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer24 gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

25 5195a(a)(1)); 
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1 ‘‘(IX) the handling and storage 

2 of hazardous materials and the appro3 priate disposal of biocontaminants; 

4 ‘‘(X) identification of and protec5 tion from hazards that can cause bod6 ily injury such as electrical hazards, 

7 bodies of water, and vehicular traffic; 

8 ‘‘(XI) for providers that offer 

9 transportation, if applicable, appro10 priate precautions in transporting 

11 children; 

12 ‘‘(XII) first aid and cardiopulmo13 nary resuscitation; and 

14 ‘‘(XIII) minimum health and 

15 safety training, to be completed pre16 service or during an orientation pe17 riod, appropriate to the provider set18 ting involved that addresses each of 

19 the requirements relating to matters 

20 described in subclauses (I) through 

21 (XII); and 

22 ‘‘(ii) may include requirements relat23 ing to nutrition, access to physical activity, 

24 or any other subject area determined by 

25 the State to be necessary to promote child 
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1 development or to protect children’s health 

2 and safety. 

3 ‘‘(J) COMPLIANCE WITH STATE AND LOCAL

4 HEALTH AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS.—The 

5 plan shall include a certification that proce6 dures are in effect to ensure that child care 

7 providers within the State, that provide services 

8 for which assistance is made available in ac9 cordance with this subchapter, comply with all 

10 applicable State and local health and safety re11 quirements as described in subparagraph (I). 

12 ‘‘(K) ENFORCEMENT OF LICENSING AND

13 OTHER REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS.— 

14 ‘‘(i) CERTIFICATION.—The plan shall 

15 include a certification that the State, not 

16 later than 2 years after the date of enact17 ment of the Child Care and Development 

18 Block Grant Act of 2014, shall have in ef19 fect policies and practices, applicable to li20 censing or regulating child care providers 

21 that provide services for which assistance 

22 is made available in accordance with this 

23 subchapter and the facilities of those pro24 viders, that— 
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1 ‘‘(I) ensure that individuals who 

2 are hired as licensing inspectors in the 

3 State are qualified to inspect those 

4 child care providers and facilities and 

5 have received training in related 

6 health and safety requirements, child 

7 development, child abuse prevention 

8 and detection, program management, 

9 and relevant law enforcement; 

10 ‘‘(II) require licensing inspectors 

11 (or qualified inspectors designated by 

12 the lead agency) of those child care 

13 providers and facilities to perform in14 spections, with— 

15 ‘‘(aa) not less than 1 

16 prelicensure inspection for com17 pliance with health, safety, and 

18 fire standards, of each such child 

19 care provider and facility in the 

20 State; and 

21 ‘‘(bb) not less than annually, 

22 an inspection (which shall be un23 announced) of each such child 

24 care provider and facility in the 

25 State for compliance with all 
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1 child care licensing standards, 

2 which shall include an inspection 

3 for compliance with health, safe4 ty, and fire standards (although 

5 inspectors may or may not in6 spect for compliance with all 3 

7 standards at the same time); and 

8 ‘‘(III) require the ratio of licens9 ing inspectors to such child care pro10 viders and facilities in the State to— 

11 ‘‘(aa) be maintained at a 

12 level sufficient to enable the 

13 State to conduct inspections of 

14 such child care providers and fa15 cilities on a timely basis in ac16 cordance with Federal and State 

17 law; and 

18 ‘‘(bb) be consistent with re19 search findings and best prac20 tices. 

21 ‘‘(ii) CONSTRUCTION.—The Secretary 

22 may offer guidance to a State, if requested 

23 by the State, on a research-based min24 imum standard regarding ratios described 

25 in clause (i)(III) and provide technical as-
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1 sistance to the State on meeting the min2 imum standard within a reasonable time 

3 period, but shall not prescribe a particular 

4 ratio. 

5 ‘‘(L) COMPLIANCE WITH CHILD ABUSE RE6 PORTING REQUIREMENTS.—The plan shall in7 clude a certification that child care providers 

8 within the State will comply with the child 

9 abuse reporting requirements of section 

10 106(b)(2)(B)(i) of the Child Abuse Prevention 

11 and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 

12 5106a(b)(2)(B)(i)). 

13 ‘‘(M) MEETING THE NEEDS OF CERTAIN

14 POPULATIONS.—The plan shall describe how 

15 the State will develop and implement strategies 

16 (which may include the provision of compensa17 tion at higher payment rates and bonuses to 

18 child care providers, the provision of direct con19 tracts or grants to community-based organiza20 tions, offering child care certificates to parents, 

21 or other means determined by the State) to in22 crease the supply and improve the quality of 

23 child care for— 

24 ‘‘(i) children in underserved areas; 

25 ‘‘(ii) infants and toddlers; 
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1 ‘‘(iii) children with disabilities, as de2 fined by the State; and 

3 ‘‘(iv) children who receive care during 

4 nontraditional hours. 

5 ‘‘(N) PROTECTION FOR WORKING PAR6 ENTS.— 

7 ‘‘(i) MINIMUM PERIOD.— 

8 ‘‘(I) 12-MONTH PERIOD.—The 

9 plan shall demonstrate that each child 

10 who receives assistance under this 

11 subchapter in the State will be consid12 ered to meet all eligibility require13 ments for such assistance and will re14 ceive such assistance, for not less than 

15 12 months before the State redeter16 mines the eligibility of the child under 

17 this subchapter, regardless of a tem18 porary change in the ongoing status 

19 of the child’s parent as working or at20 tending a job training or educational 

21 program or a change in family income 

22 for the child’s family, if that family 

23 income does not exceed 85 percent of 

24 the State median income for a family 

25 of the same size. 
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1 ‘‘(II) FLUCTUATIONS IN EARN2 INGS.—The plan shall demonstrate 

3 how the State’s processes for initial 

4 determination and redetermination of 

5 such eligibility take into account ir6 regular fluctuations in earnings. 

7 ‘‘(ii) REDETERMINATION PROCESS.— 

8 The plan shall describe the procedures and 

9 policies that are in place to ensure that 

10 working parents (especially parents in fam11 ilies receiving assistance under the pro12 gram of block grants to States for tem13 porary assistance for needy families under 

14 part A of title IV of the Social Security 

15 Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.)) are not re16 quired to unduly disrupt their employment 

17 in order to comply with the State’s require18 ments for redetermination of eligibility for 

19 assistance provided in accordance with this 

20 subchapter. 

21 ‘‘(iii) PERIOD BEFORE TERMI22 NATION.—At the option of the State, the 

23 plan shall demonstrate that the State will 

24 not terminate assistance provided to carry 

25 out this subchapter based on a factor con-
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1 sisting of a parent’s loss of work or ces2 sation of attendance at a job training or 

3 educational program for which the family 

4 was receiving the assistance, without con5 tinuing the assistance for a reasonable pe6 riod of time, of not less than 3 months, 

7 after such loss or cessation in order for the 

8 parent to engage in a job search and re9 sume work, or resume attendance at a job 

10 training or educational program, as soon 

11 as possible. 

12 ‘‘(iv) GRADUATED PHASEOUT OF

13 CARE.—The plan shall describe the policies 

14 and procedures that are in place to allow 

15 for provision of continued assistance to 

16 carry out this subchapter, at the beginning 

17 of a new eligibility period under clause 

18 (i)(I), for children of parents who are 

19 working or attending a job training or edu20 cational program and whose family income 

21 exceeds the State’s income limit to initially 

22 qualify for such assistance, if the family 

23 income for the family involved does not ex24 ceed 85 percent of the State median in25 come for a family of the same size. 
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1 ‘‘(O) COORDINATION WITH OTHER PRO2 GRAMS.— 

3 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The plan shall de4 scribe how the State, in order to expand 

5 accessibility and continuity of quality early 

6 childhood education and care, and assist 

7 children enrolled in prekindergarten, Early 

8 Head Start, or Head Start programs to re9 ceive full-day services, will efficiently co10 ordinate the services supported to carry 

11 out this subchapter with— 

12 ‘‘(I) programs carried out under 

13 the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 

14 et seq.), including the Early Head 

15 Start programs carried out under sec16 tion 645A of that Act (42 U.S.C. 

17 9840a); 

18 ‘‘(II) programs carried out under 

19 part A of title I, and part B of title 

20 IV, of the Elementary and Secondary 

21 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

22 6311 et seq., 7171 et seq.); 

23 ‘‘(III) programs carried out 

24 under section 619 and part C of the 

25 Individuals with Disabilities Edu-
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1 cation Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et 

2 seq.); 

3 ‘‘(IV) the maternal, infant, and 

4 early childhood home visiting pro5 grams authorized under section 511 

6 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

7 711), as added by section 2951 of the 

8 Patient Protection and Affordable 

9 Care Act (Public Law 111–148); 

10 ‘‘(V) State, Indian tribe or tribal 

11 organization, and locally funded early 

12 childhood education and care pro13 grams; 

14 ‘‘(VI) programs serving homeless 

15 children and services of local edu16 cational agency liaisons for homeless 

17 children and youths designated under 

18 subsection (g)(1)(J)(ii) of section 722 

19 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless As20 sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

21 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii)); 

22 ‘‘(VII) State agencies and pro23 grams serving children in foster care 

24 and the foster families of such chil25 dren; and 
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1 ‘‘(VIII) other Federal programs 

2 supporting early childhood education 

3 and care activities, and, where appli4 cable, child care programs funded 

5 through State veterans affairs offices. 

6 ‘‘(ii) OPTIONAL USE OF COMBINED

7 FUNDS.—If the State elects to combine 

8 funding for the services supported to carry 

9 out this subchapter with funding for any 

10 program described in subclauses (I) 

11 through (VII) of clause (i), the plan shall 

12 describe how the State will combine the 

13 multiple sets of funding and use the com14 bined funding. 

15 ‘‘(iii) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.— 

16 Nothing in clause (i) shall be construed to 

17 affect the priority of children described in 

18 clause (i) to receive full-day prekinder19 garten or Head Start program services. 

20 ‘‘(P) PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS.— 

21 The plan shall demonstrate how the State en22 courages partnerships among State agencies, 

23 other public agencies, Indian tribes and tribal 

24 organizations, and private entities to leverage 

25 existing service delivery systems (as of the date 
30 

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1 of the submission of the application containing 

2 the plan) for early childhood education and care 

3 and to increase the supply and quality of child 

4 care services for children who are less than 13 

5 years of age, such as by implementing voluntary 

6 shared services alliance models. 

7 ‘‘(Q) PRIORITY FOR LOW-INCOME POPU8 LATIONS.—The plan shall describe the process 

9 the State proposes to use, with respect to in10 vestments made to increase access to programs 

11 providing high-quality early childhood education 

12 and care, to give priority for those investments 

13 to children of families in areas that have signifi14 cant concentrations of poverty and unemploy15 ment and that do not have such programs. 

16 ‘‘(R) CONSULTATION.—The plan shall in17 clude a certification that the State has devel18 oped the plan in consultation with the State 

19 Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education 

20 and Care designated or established pursuant to 

21 section 642B(b)(1)(A)(i) of the Head Start Act 

22 (42 U.S.C. 9837b(b)(1)(A)(i)). 

23 ‘‘(S) PAYMENT PRACTICES.—The plan 

24 shall include a certification that the payment 

25 practices of child care providers in the State 
31 

†S 1086 ES

1 that serve children who receive assistance under 

2 this subchapter reflect generally accepted pay3 ment practices of child care providers in the 

4 State that serve children who do not receive as5 sistance under this subchapter, so as to provide 

6 stability of funding and encourage more child 

7 care providers to serve children who receive as8 sistance under this subchapter. 

9 ‘‘(T) EARLY LEARNING AND DEVELOP10 MENTAL GUIDELINES.— 

11 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The plan shall in12 clude an assurance that the State will de13 velop or implement early learning and de14 velopmental guidelines that are appropriate 

15 for children from birth through entry into 

16 kindergarten, describing what such chil17 dren should know and be able to do, and 

18 covering the essential domains of early 

19 childhood education and care and early 

20 childhood development for use statewide by 

21 child care providers. Such child care pro22 viders shall— 

23 ‘‘(I) be licensed or regulated 

24 under State law; and 
32 

†S 1086 ES

1 ‘‘(II) not be a relative of all chil2 dren for whom the provider provides 

3 child care services. 

4 ‘‘(ii) ALIGNMENT.—The guidelines 

5 shall be research-based, developmentally 

6 appropriate, and aligned with State stand7 ards for education in kindergarten through 

8 grade 3. 

9 ‘‘(iii) PROHIBITION ON USE OF

10 FUNDS.—The plan shall include an assur11 ance that funds received by the State to 

12 carry out this subchapter will not be used 

13 to develop or implement an assessment for 

14 children that— 

15 ‘‘(I) will be the sole basis for a 

16 child care provider being determined 

17 to be ineligible to participate in the 

18 program carried out under this sub19 chapter; 

20 ‘‘(II) will be used as the primary 

21 or sole basis to provide a reward or 

22 sanction for an individual provider; 

23 ‘‘(III) will be used as the primary 

24 or sole method for assessing program 

25 effectiveness; or 
33 

†S 1086 ES

1 ‘‘(IV) will be used to deny eligi2 bility to participate in the program 

3 carried out under this subchapter. 

4 ‘‘(iv) EXCEPTIONS.—Nothing in this 

5 subchapter shall preclude the State from 

6 using a single assessment (if appropriate) 

7 for children for— 

8 ‘‘(I) supporting learning or im9 proving a classroom environment; 

10 ‘‘(II) targeting professional devel11 opment to a provider; 

12 ‘‘(III) determining the need for 

13 health, mental health, disability, de14 velopmental delay, or family support 

15 services; 

16 ‘‘(IV) obtaining information for 

17 the quality improvement process at 

18 the State level; or 

19 ‘‘(V) conducting a program eval20 uation for the purposes of providing 

21 program improvement and parent in22 formation. 

23 ‘‘(v) NO FEDERAL CONTROL.—Noth24 ing in this section shall be construed to au-
34 

†S 1086 ES

1 thorize an officer or employee of the Fed2 eral Government to— 

3 ‘‘(I) mandate, direct, or control a 

4 State’s early learning and develop5 mental guidelines, developed in ac6 cordance with this section; 

7 ‘‘(II) establish any criterion that 

8 specifies, defines, or prescribes the 

9 standards or measures that a State 

10 uses to establish, implement, or im11 prove— 

12 ‘‘(aa) early learning and de13 velopmental guidelines, or early 

14 learning standards, assessments, 

15 or accountability systems; or 

16 ‘‘(bb) alignment of early 

17 learning and developmental 

18 guidelines with State standards 

19 for education in kindergarten 

20 through grade 3; or 

21 ‘‘(III) require a State to submit 

22 such standards or measures for re23 view. 

24 ‘‘(U) DISASTER PREPAREDNESS.— 
35 

†S 1086 ES

1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The plan shall 

2 demonstrate the manner in which the 

3 State will address the needs of children in 

4 child care services provided through pro5 grams authorized under this subchapter, 

6 including the need for safe child care, dur7 ing the period before, during, and after a 

8 state of emergency declared by the Gov9 ernor or a major disaster or emergency (as 

10 such terms are defined in section 102 of 

11 the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

12 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

13 5122)). 

14 ‘‘(ii) STATEWIDE CHILD CARE DIS15 ASTER PLAN.—Such plan shall include a 

16 statewide child care disaster plan for co17 ordination of activities and collaboration, 

18 in the event of an emergency or disaster 

19 described in clause (i), among the State 

20 agency with jurisdiction over human serv21 ices, the agency with jurisdiction over 

22 State emergency planning, the State lead 

23 agency, the State agency with jurisdiction 

24 over licensing of child care providers, the 

25 local resource and referral organizations, 
36 

†S 1086 ES

1 the State resource and referral system, and 

2 the State Advisory Council on Early Child3 hood Education and Care as provided for 

4 under section 642B(b) of the Head Start 

5 Act (42 U.S.C. 9837b(b)). 

6 ‘‘(iii) DISASTER PLAN COMPO7 NENTS.—The components of the disaster 

8 plan, for such an emergency or disaster, 

9 shall include— 

10 ‘‘(I) guidelines for the continu11 ation of child care services in the pe12 riod following the emergency or dis13 aster, including the provision of emer14 gency and temporary child care serv15 ices, and temporary operating stand16 ards for child care providers during 

17 that period; 

18 ‘‘(II) evacuation, relocation, shel19 ter-in-place, and lock-down proce20 dures, and procedures for communica21 tion and reunification with families, 

22 continuity of operations, and accom23 modation of infants and toddlers, chil24 dren with disabilities, and children 

25 with chronic medical conditions; and 
37 

†S 1086 ES

1 ‘‘(III) procedures for staff and 

2 volunteer training and practice 

3 drills.’’. 

4 (3) in paragraph (3)— 

5 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘as 

6 required under’’ and inserting ‘‘in accordance 

7 with’’; 

8 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

9 (i) by striking ‘‘The State’’ and in10 serting the following: 

11 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The State’’; 

12 (ii) by striking ‘‘and any other activity 

13 that the State deems appropriate to realize 

14 any of the goals specified in paragraphs 

15 (2) through (5) of section 658A(b)’’ and 

16 inserting ‘‘activities that improve access to 

17 child care services, including use of proce18 dures to permit immediate enrollment 

19 (after the initial eligibility determination 

20 and after a child is determined to be eligi21 ble) of homeless children while required 

22 documentation is obtained, training and 

23 technical assistance on identifying and 

24 serving homeless children and their fami25 lies, and specific outreach to homeless fam-
38 

†S 1086 ES

1 ilies, and any other activity that the State 

2 determines to be appropriate to meet the 

3 purposes of this subchapter (which may in4 clude an activity described in clause (ii))’’; 

5 and 

6 (iii) by adding at the end the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(ii) REPORT BY ASSISTANT SEC9 RETARY FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.— 

10 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Not later 

11 than September 30 of the first full fis12 cal year after the date of enactment of 

13 the Child Care and Development 

14 Block Grant Act of 2014, and Sep15 tember 30 of each fiscal year there16 after, the Secretary (acting through 

17 the Assistant Secretary for Children 

18 and Families of the Department of 

19 Health and Human Services) shall 

20 prepare a report that contains a de21 termination about whether each State 

22 uses amounts provided to such State 

23 for the fiscal year involved under this 

24 subchapter in accordance with the pri-
39 

†S 1086 ES

1 ority for services described in clause 

2 (i). 

3 ‘‘(II) PENALTY FOR NONCOMPLI4 ANCE.—For any fiscal year that the 

5 report of the Secretary described in 

6 subclause (I) indicates that a State 

7 has failed to give priority for services 

8 in accordance with clause (i), the Sec9 retary shall— 

10 ‘‘(aa) inform the State that 

11 the State has until the date that 

12 is 6 months after the Secretary 

13 has issued such report to fully 

14 comply with clause (i); 

15 ‘‘(bb) provide the State an 

16 opportunity to modify the State 

17 plan of such State, to make the 

18 plan consistent with the require19 ments of clause (i), and resubmit 

20 such State plan to the Secretary 

21 not later than the date described 

22 in item (aa); and 

23 ‘‘(cc) if the State does not 

24 fully comply with clause (i) and 

25 item (bb), by the date described 
40 

†S 1086 ES

1 in item (aa), withhold 5 percent 

2 of the funds that would otherwise 

3 be allocated to that State in ac4 cordance with this subchapter for 

5 the first full fiscal year after that 

6 date. 

7 ‘‘(III) WAIVER FOR EXTRAOR8 DINARY CIRCUMSTANCES.—Notwith9 standing subclause (II) the Secretary 

10 may grant a waiver to a State for one 

11 year to the penalty applied in sub12 clause (II) if the Secretary determines 

13 there are extraordinary circumstances, 

14 such as a natural disaster, that pre15 vent the State from complying with 

16 clause (i). If the Secretary does grant 

17 a waiver to a State under this section, 

18 the Secretary shall, within 30 days of 

19 granting such waiver, submit a report 

20 to the appropriate congressional com21 mittees on the circumstances of the 

22 waiver including the stated reason 

23 from the State on the need for a waiv24 er, the expected impact of the waiver 

25 on children served under this pro-
41 

†S 1086 ES

1 gram, and any such other relevant in2 formation the Secretary deems nec3 essary. 

4 ‘‘(iii) CHILD CARE RESOURCE AND

5 REFERRAL SYSTEM.— 

6 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—A State may 

7 use amounts described in clause (i) to 

8 establish or support a system of local 

9 or regional child care resource and re10 ferral organizations that is coordi11 nated, to the extent determined appro12 priate by the State, by a statewide 

13 public or private nonprofit, commu14 nity-based or regionally based, lead 

15 child care resource and referral orga16 nization. 

17 ‘‘(II) LOCAL OR REGIONAL ORGA18 NIZATIONS.—The local or regional 

19 child care resource and referral orga20 nizations supported as described in 

21 subclause (I) shall— 

22 ‘‘(aa) provide parents in the 

23 State with consumer education 

24 information referred to in para25 graph (2)(E) (except as otherwise 
42 

†S 1086 ES

1 provided in that paragraph), con2 cerning the full range of child 

3 care options, analyzed by pro4 vider, including child care pro5 vided during nontraditional hours 

6 and through emergency child 

7 care centers, in their political 

8 subdivisions or regions; 

9 ‘‘(bb) to the extent prac10 ticable, work directly with fami11 lies who receive assistance under 

12 this subchapter to offer the fami13 lies support and assistance, using 

14 information described in item 

15 (aa), to make an informed deci16 sion about which child care pro17 viders they will use, in an effort 

18 to ensure that the families are 

19 enrolling their children in high20 quality care; 

21 ‘‘(cc) collect and analyze 

22 data on the coordination of serv23 ices and supports, including serv24 ices under section 619 and part 

25 C of the Individuals with Disabil-
43 

†S 1086 ES

1 ities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 

2 1419, 1431 et seq.), for children 

3 with disabilities (as defined in 

4 section 602 of such Act (20 

5 U.S.C. 1401)); 

6 ‘‘(dd) collect and analyze 

7 data on the supply of and de8 mand for child care in political 

9 subdivisions or regions within the 

10 State and submit such data and 

11 analysis to the State; 

12 ‘‘(ee) work to establish part13 nerships with public agencies and 

14 private entities to increase the 

15 supply and quality of child care 

16 services in the State; and 

17 ‘‘(ff) as appropriate, coordi18 nate their activities with the ac19 tivities of the State lead agency 

20 and local agencies that admin21 ister funds made available in ac22 cordance with this subchapter.’’; 

23 (C) in subparagraph (D)— 

24 (i) by striking ‘‘1997 through 2002’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘2015 through 2020’’; and 
44 

†S 1086 ES

1 (ii) by striking ‘‘families described in 

2 paragraph (2)(H)’’ and inserting ‘‘families 

3 with children described in clause (i), (ii), 

4 (iii), or (iv) of paragraph (2)(M)’’; and 

5 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(E) DIRECT SERVICES.—From amounts 

7 provided to a State for a fiscal year to carry 

8 out this subchapter, the State shall— 

9 ‘‘(i) reserve the minimum amount re10 quired to be reserved under section 658G, 

11 and the funds for costs described in sub12 paragraph (C); and 

13 ‘‘(ii) from the remainder, use not less 

14 than 70 percent to fund direct services 

15 (provided by the State) in accordance with 

16 paragraph (2)(A).’’; 

17 (4) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the 

18 following: 

19 ‘‘(4) PAYMENT RATES.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The State plan shall 

21 certify that payment rates for the provision of 

22 child care services for which assistance is pro23 vided in accordance with this subchapter are 

24 sufficient to ensure equal access for eligible 

25 children to child care services that are com-
45 

†S 1086 ES

1 parable to child care services in the State or 

2 substate area involved that are provided to chil3 dren whose parents are not eligible to receive 

4 assistance under this subchapter or to receive 

5 child care assistance under any other Federal 

6 or State program and shall provide a summary 

7 of the facts relied on by the State to determine 

8 that such rates are sufficient to ensure such ac9 cess. 

10 ‘‘(B) SURVEY.—The State plan shall— 

11 ‘‘(i) demonstrate that the State has, 

12 after consulting with the State Advisory 

13 Council on Early Childhood Education and 

14 Care designated or established in section 

15 642B(b)(1)(A)(i) of the Head Start Act 

16 (42 U.S.C. 9837b(b)(1)(A)(i)), local child 

17 care program administrators, local child 

18 care resource and referral agencies, and 

19 other appropriate entities, developed and 

20 conducted (not earlier than 2 years before 

21 the date of the submission of the applica22 tion containing the State plan) a statis23 tically valid and reliable survey of the mar24 ket rates for child care services in the 

25 State (that reflects variations in the cost of 
46 

†S 1086 ES

1 child care services by geographic area, type 

2 of provider, and age of child); 

3 ‘‘(ii) demonstrate that the State pre4 pared a detailed report containing the re5 sults of the State market rates survey con6 ducted pursuant to clause (i), and made 

7 the results of the survey widely available 

8 (not later than 30 days after the comple9 tion of such survey) through periodic 

10 means, including posting the results on the 

11 Internet; 

12 ‘‘(iii) describe how the State will set 

13 payment rates for child care services, for 

14 which assistance is provided in accordance 

15 with this subchapter— 

16 ‘‘(I) in accordance with the re17 sults of the market rates survey con18 ducted pursuant to clause (i); 

19 ‘‘(II) taking into consideration 

20 the cost of providing higher quality 

21 child care services than were provided 

22 under this subchapter before the date 

23 of enactment of the Child Care and 

24 Development Block Grant Act of 

25 2014; and 
47 

†S 1086 ES

1 ‘‘(III) without, to the extent 

2 practicable, reducing the number of 

3 families in the State receiving such 

4 assistance to carry out this sub5 chapter, relative to the number of 

6 such families on the date of enact7 ment of that Act; and 

8 ‘‘(iv) describe how the State will pro9 vide for timely payment for child care serv10 ices provided in accordance with this sub11 chapter. 

12 ‘‘(C) CONSTRUCTION.— 

13 ‘‘(i) NO PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION.— 

14 Nothing in this paragraph shall be con15 strued to create a private right of action. 

16 ‘‘(ii) NO PROHIBITION OF CERTAIN

17 DIFFERENT RATES.—Nothing in this sub18 chapter shall be construed to prevent a 

19 State from differentiating the payment 

20 rates described in subparagraph (B)(iii) on 

21 the basis of such factors as— 

22 ‘‘(I) geographic location of child 

23 care providers (such as location in an 

24 urban or rural area); 
48 

†S 1086 ES

1 ‘‘(II) the age or particular needs 

2 of children (such as the needs of chil3 dren with disabilities and children 

4 served by child protective services); 

5 ‘‘(III) whether the providers pro6 vide child care during weekend and 

7 other nontraditional hours; or 

8 ‘‘(IV) the State’s determination 

9 that such differentiated payment rates 

10 are needed to enable a parent to 

11 choose child care that is of high qual12 ity.’’; and 

13 (5) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘(that is not 

14 a barrier to families receiving assistance under this 

15 subchapter)’’ after ‘‘cost sharing’’. 

16 (c) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 658F(b)(2) 

17 of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 

18 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858d(b)(2)) is amended by striking 

19 ‘‘section 658E(c)(2)(F)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 

20 658E(c)(2)(I)’’. 

21 SEC. 6. ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CHILD 

22 CARE. 

23 Section 658G of the Child Care and Development 

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

25 to read as follows: 
49 

†S 1086 ES

1 ‘‘SEC. 658G. ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF 

2 CHILD CARE. 

3 ‘‘(a) RESERVATION.— 

4 ‘‘(1) RESERVATION FOR ACTIVITIES RELATING

5 TO THE QUALITY OF CHILD CARE SERVICES.—A 

6 State that receives funds to carry out this sub7 chapter for a fiscal year referred to in paragraph (2) 

8 shall reserve and use a portion of such funds, in ac9 cordance with paragraph (2), for activities provided 

10 directly, or through grants or contracts with local 

11 child care resource and referral organizations or 

12 other appropriate entities, that are designed to im13 prove the quality of child care services and increase 

14 parental options for, and access to, high-quality 

15 child care, provided in accordance with this sub16 chapter. 

17 ‘‘(2) AMOUNT OF RESERVATIONS.—Such State 

18 shall reserve and use— 

19 ‘‘(A) to carry out the activities described in 

20 paragraph (1), not less than— 

21 ‘‘(i) 6 percent of the funds described 

22 in paragraph (1), for the first and second 

23 full fiscal years after the date of enactment 

24 of the Child Care and Development Block 

25 Grant Act of 2014; 
50 

†S 1086 ES

1 ‘‘(ii) 8 percent of such funds, for the 

2 third and fourth full fiscal years after the 

3 date of enactment; and 

4 ‘‘(iii) 10 percent of such funds, for 

5 the fifth full fiscal year after the date of 

6 enactment and each succeeding fiscal year; 

7 and 

8 ‘‘(B) in addition to the funds reserved 

9 under subparagraph (A), 3 percent of the funds 

10 described in paragraph (1), for the first full fis11 cal year after the date of enactment and each 

12 succeeding fiscal year, to carry out the activities 

13 described in paragraph (1) and subsection 

14 (b)(4), as such activities relate to the quality of 

15 care for infants and toddlers. 

16 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES.—Funds reserved under subsection 

17 (a) shall be used to carry out not fewer than 2 of the 

18 following activities: 

19 ‘‘(1) Supporting the training, professional de20 velopment, and professional advancement of the 

21 child care workforce through activities such as— 

22 ‘‘(A) offering child care providers training 

23 and professional development that is intentional 

24 and sequential and leads to a higher level of 

25 skill or certification; 
51 

†S 1086 ES

1 ‘‘(B) establishing or supporting programs 

2 designed to increase the retention and improve 

3 the competencies of child care providers, includ4 ing wage incentive programs and initiatives that 

5 establish tiered payment rates for providers 

6 that meet or exceed child care services guide7 lines, as defined by the State; 

8 ‘‘(C) offering training, professional devel9 opment, and educational opportunities for child 

10 care providers that relate to the use of develop11 mentally appropriate and age-appropriate cur12 ricula, and early childhood teaching strategies, 

13 that are scientifically based and aligned with 

14 the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive de15 velopment of children, including offering spe16 cialized training for child care providers who 

17 care for infants and toddlers, children who are 

18 English learners, and children with disabilities 

19 (as defined in section 602 of the Individuals 

20 with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 

21 1401)); 

22 ‘‘(D) providing training concerning the 

23 State early learning and developmental guide24 lines, where applicable, including training con25 cerning early mathematics and early language 
52 

†S 1086 ES

1 and literacy development and effective instruc2 tional practices to support mathematics and 

3 language and literacy development in young 

4 children; 

5 ‘‘(E) incorporating effective use of data to 

6 guide instruction and program improvement; 

7 ‘‘(F) including effective behavior manage8 ment strategies and training, including positive 

9 behavioral interventions and supports, that pro10 mote positive social and emotional development 

11 and reduce challenge behaviors; 

12 ‘‘(G) at the option of the State, incor13 porating feedback from experts at the State’s 

14 institutions of higher education, as defined in 

15 section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 

16 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002), and other early child17 hood development experts and early childhood 

18 education and care experts; 

19 ‘‘(H) providing training corresponding to 

20 the nutritional and physical activity needs of 

21 children to promote healthy development; 

22 ‘‘(I) providing training or professional de23 velopment for child care providers to serve and 

24 support children with disabilities; 
53 

†S 1086 ES

1 ‘‘(J) providing training and outreach on 

2 engaging parents and families in culturally and 

3 linguistically appropriate ways to expand their 

4 knowledge, skills, and capacity to become mean5 ingful partners in supporting their children’s 

6 learning and development; 

7 ‘‘(K) providing training or professional de8 velopment for child care providers regarding the 

9 early neurological development of children; and 

10 ‘‘(L) connecting child care staff members 

11 of child care providers with available Federal 

12 and State financial aid, or other resources, that 

13 would assist child care staff members in pur14 suing relevant postsecondary training. 

15 ‘‘(2) Supporting the use of the early learning 

16 and developmental guidelines described in section 

17 658E(c)(2)(T) by— 

18 ‘‘(A) developing and implementing the 

19 State’s early learning and developmental guide20 lines; and 

21 ‘‘(B) providing technical assistance to en22 hance early learning for preschool and school23 aged children in order to promote language and 

24 literacy skills, foster school readiness, and sup25 port later school success. 
54 

†S 1086 ES

1 ‘‘(3) Developing and implementing a tiered 

2 quality rating system for child care providers, which 

3 shall— 

4 ‘‘(A) support and assess the quality of 

5 child care providers in the State; 

6 ‘‘(B) build on licensing standards and 

7 other State regulatory standards for such pro8 viders; 

9 ‘‘(C) be designed to improve the quality of 

10 different types of child care providers; 

11 ‘‘(D) describe the quality of early learning 

12 facilities; 

13 ‘‘(E) build the capacity of State early 

14 childhood education and care programs and 

15 communities to promote parents’ and families’ 

16 understanding of the State’s early childhood 

17 education and care system and the ratings of 

18 the programs in which the child is enrolled; and 

19 ‘‘(F) provide, to the maximum extent prac20 ticable, financial incentives and other supports 

21 designed to help child care providers achieve 

22 and sustain higher levels of quality. 

23 ‘‘(4) Improving the supply and quality of child 

24 care programs and services for infants and toddlers 

25 through activities, which may include— 
55 

†S 1086 ES

1 ‘‘(A) establishing or expanding neighbor2 hood-based high-quality comprehensive family 

3 and child development centers, which may serve 

4 as resources to child care providers in order to 

5 improve the quality of early childhood education 

6 and care and early childhood development serv7 ices provided to infants and toddlers from low8 income families and to help eligible child care 

9 providers improve their capacity to offer high10 quality care to infants and toddlers from low11 income families; 

12 ‘‘(B) establishing or expanding the oper13 ation of community or neighborhood-based fam14 ily child care networks; 

15 ‘‘(C) supporting statewide networks of in16 fant and toddler child care specialists, including 

17 specialists who have knowledge regarding infant 

18 and toddler development and curriculum and 

19 program implementation as well as the ability 

20 to coordinate services with early intervention 

21 specialists who provide services for infants and 

22 toddlers with disabilities under part C of the 

23 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 

24 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.); 
56 

†S 1086 ES

1 ‘‘(D) carrying out initiatives to improve 

2 the quality of the infant and toddler child care 

3 workforce, such as providing relevant training, 

4 professional development, or mentoring oppor5 tunities and linking such opportunities to career 

6 pathways, developing career pathways for pro7 viders in such workforce, and improving the 

8 State credentialing of eligible providers caring 

9 for infants and toddlers; 

10 ‘‘(E) if applicable, developing infant and 

11 toddler components within the State’s quality 

12 rating system described in paragraph (3) for 

13 child care providers for infants and toddlers, or 

14 the development of infant and toddler compo15 nents in a State’s child care licensing regula16 tions or early learning and developmental guide17 lines; 

18 ‘‘(F) improving the ability of parents to ac19 cess information about high-quality infant and 

20 toddler care; and 

21 ‘‘(G) carrying out other activities deter22 mined by the State to improve the quality of in23 fant and toddler care provided in the State, and 

24 for which there is evidence that the activities 

25 will lead to improved infant and toddler health 
57 

†S 1086 ES

1 and safety, infant and toddler development, or 

2 infant and toddler well-being, including pro3 viding training (including training in safe sleep 

4 practices, first aid, and cardiopulmonary resus5 citation). 

6 ‘‘(5) Promoting broad child care provider par7 ticipation in the quality rating system described in 

8 paragraph (3). 

9 ‘‘(6) Establishing or expanding a statewide sys10 tem of child care resource and referral services. 

11 ‘‘(7) Facilitating compliance with State require12 ments for inspection, monitoring, training, and 

13 health and safety, and with State licensing stand14 ards. 

15 ‘‘(8) Evaluating and assessing the quality and 

16 effectiveness of child care programs and services of17 fered in the State, including evaluating how such 

18 programs and services may improve the overall 

19 school readiness of young children. 

20 ‘‘(9) Supporting child care providers in the pur21 suit of accreditation by an established national ac22 crediting body with demonstrated, valid, and reliable 

23 program standards of high quality. 

24 ‘‘(10) Supporting State or local efforts to de25 velop or adopt high-quality program standards relat-
58 

†S 1086 ES

1 ing to health, mental health, nutrition, physical ac2 tivity, and physical development and providing re3 sources to enable eligible child care providers to 

4 meet, exceed, or sustain success in meeting or ex5 ceeding, such standards. 

6 ‘‘(11) Carrying out other activities determined 

7 by the State to improve the quality of child care 

8 services provided in the State, and for which meas9 urement of outcomes relating to improved provider 

10 preparedness, child safety, child well-being, or school 

11 readiness is possible. 

12 ‘‘(c) CERTIFICATION.—Beginning with fiscal year 

13 2015, at the beginning of each fiscal year, the State shall 

14 annually submit to the Secretary a certification containing 

15 an assurance that the State was in compliance with sub16 section (a) during the preceding fiscal year and a descrip17 tion of how the State used funds received under this sub18 chapter to comply with subsection (a) during that pre19 ceding fiscal year. 

20 ‘‘(d) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Each State re21 ceiving funds under this subchapter shall prepare and sub22 mit an annual report to the Secretary, which shall include 

23 information about— 

24 ‘‘(1) the amount of funds that are reserved 

25 under subsection (a); 
59 

†S 1086 ES

1 ‘‘(2) the activities carried out under this sec2 tion; and 

3 ‘‘(3) the measures that the State will use to 

4 evaluate the State’s progress in improving the qual5 ity of child care programs and services in the State. 

6 ‘‘(e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 

7 offer technical assistance, in accordance with section 

8 658I(a)(3), which may include technical assistance 

9 through the use of grants or cooperative agreements, to 

10 States for the activities described in subsection (b). 

11 ‘‘(f) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section shall 

12 be construed as providing the Secretary the authority to 

13 regulate, direct, or dictate State child care quality activi14 ties or progress in implementing those activities.’’. 

15 SEC. 7. CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS. 

16 The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act 

17 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) is amended by inserting 

18 after section 658G the following: 

19 ‘‘SEC. 658H. CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS. 

20 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A State that receives funds to 

21 carry out this subchapter shall have in effect— 

22 ‘‘(1) requirements, policies, and procedures to 

23 require and conduct criminal background checks for 

24 child care staff members (including prospective child 
60 

†S 1086 ES

1 care staff members) of child care providers described 

2 in subsection (c)(1); and 

3 ‘‘(2) licensing, regulation, and registration re4 quirements, as applicable, that prohibit the employ5 ment of child care staff members as described in 

6 subsection (c). 

7 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—A criminal background check 

8 for a child care staff member under subsection (a) shall 

9 include— 

10 ‘‘(1) a search of each State criminal and sex of11 fender registry or repository in the State where the 

12 child care staff member resides and each State 

13 where such staff member resided during the pre14 ceding 10 years; 

15 ‘‘(2) a search of State-based child abuse and 

16 neglect registries and databases in the State where 

17 the child care staff member resides and each State 

18 where such staff member resided during the pre19 ceding 10 years; 

20 ‘‘(3) a search of the National Crime Informa21 tion Center; 

22 ‘‘(4) a Federal Bureau of Investigation finger23 print check using the Integrated Automated Finger24 print Identification System; and 
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1 ‘‘(5) a search of the National Sex Offender 

2 Registry established under the Adam Walsh Child 

3 Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 

4 16901 et seq.). 

5 ‘‘(c) PROHIBITIONS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) CHILD CARE STAFF MEMBERS.—A child 

7 care staff member shall be ineligible for employment 

8 by a child care provider that is licensed, regulated, 

9 or registered by the State or for which assistance is 

10 provided in accordance with this subchapter, if such 

11 individual— 

12 ‘‘(A) refuses to consent to the criminal 

13 background check described in subsection (b); 

14 ‘‘(B) knowingly makes a materially false 

15 statement in connection with such criminal 

16 background check; 

17 ‘‘(C) is registered, or is required to be reg18 istered, on a State sex offender registry or re19 pository or the National Sex Offender Registry 

20 established under the Adam Walsh Child Pro21 tection and Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 

22 16901 et seq.); or 

23 ‘‘(D) has been convicted of a felony con24 sisting of— 
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1 ‘‘(i) murder, as described in section 

2 1111 of title 18, United States Code; 

3 ‘‘(ii) child abuse or neglect; 

4 ‘‘(iii) a crime against children, includ5 ing child pornography; 

6 ‘‘(iv) spousal abuse; 

7 ‘‘(v) a crime involving rape or sexual 

8 assault; 

9 ‘‘(vi) kidnaping; 

10 ‘‘(vii) arson; 

11 ‘‘(viii) physical assault or battery; or 

12 ‘‘(ix) subject to subsection (e)(4), a 

13 drug-related offense committed during the 

14 preceding 5 years; or 

15 ‘‘(E) has been convicted of a violent mis16 demeanor committed as an adult against a 

17 child, including the following crimes: child 

18 abuse, child endangerment, sexual assault, or of 

19 a misdemeanor involving child pornography. 

20 ‘‘(2) CHILD CARE PROVIDERS.—A child care 

21 provider described in paragraph (1) shall be ineli22 gible for assistance provided in accordance with this 

23 subchapter if the provider employs a staff member 

24 who is ineligible for employment under paragraph 

25 (1). 
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1 ‘‘(d) SUBMISSION OF REQUESTS FOR BACKGROUND

2 CHECKS.— 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A child care provider cov4 ered by subsection (c) shall submit a request, to the 

5 appropriate State agency designated by a State, for 

6 a criminal background check described in subsection 

7 (b), for each child care staff member (including pro8 spective child care staff members) of the provider. 

9 ‘‘(2) STAFF MEMBERS.—Subject to paragraph 

10 (4), in the case of an individual who became a child 

11 care staff member before the date of enactment of 

12 the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 

13 2014, the provider shall submit such a request— 

14 ‘‘(A) prior to the last day described in sub15 section (i)(1); and 

16 ‘‘(B) not less often than once during each 

17 5-year period following the first submission date 

18 under this paragraph for that staff member. 

19 ‘‘(3) PROSPECTIVE STAFF MEMBERS.—Subject 

20 to paragraph (4), in the case of an individual who 

21 is a prospective child care staff member on or after 

22 that date of enactment, the provider shall submit 

23 such a request— 
64 

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1 ‘‘(A) prior to the date the individual be2 comes a child care staff member of the pro3 vider; and 

4 ‘‘(B) not less often than once during each 

5 5-year period following the first submission date 

6 under this paragraph for that staff member. 

7 ‘‘(4) BACKGROUND CHECK FOR ANOTHER

8 CHILD CARE PROVIDER.—A child care provider shall 

9 not be required to submit a request under paragraph 

10 (2) or (3) for a child care staff member if— 

11 ‘‘(A) the staff member received a back12 ground check described in subsection (b)— 

13 ‘‘(i) within 5 years before the latest 

14 date on which such a submission may be 

15 made; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) while employed by or seeking em17 ployment by another child care provider 

18 within the State; 

19 ‘‘(B) the State provided to the first pro20 vider a qualifying background check result, con21 sistent with this subchapter, for the staff mem22 ber; and 

23 ‘‘(C) the staff member is employed by a 

24 child care provider within the State, or has 

25 been separated from employment from a child 
65 

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1 care provider within the State for a period of 

2 not more than 180 consecutive days. 

3 ‘‘(e) BACKGROUND CHECK RESULTS AND AP4 PEALS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) BACKGROUND CHECK RESULTS.—The 

6 State shall carry out the request of a child care pro7 vider for a criminal background check as expedi8 tiously as possible, but in not to exceed 45 days 

9 after the date on which such request was submitted, 

10 and shall provide the results of the criminal back11 ground check to such provider and to the current or 

12 prospective staff member. 

13 ‘‘(2) PRIVACY.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The State shall pro15 vide the results of the criminal background 

16 check to the provider in a statement that indi17 cates whether a child care staff member (in18 cluding a prospective child care staff member) 

19 is eligible or ineligible for employment described 

20 in subsection (c), without revealing any dis21 qualifying crime or other related information 

22 regarding the individual. 

23 ‘‘(B) INELIGIBLE STAFF MEMBER.—If the 

24 child care staff member is ineligible for such 

25 employment due to the background check, the 
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1 State will, when providing the results of the 

2 background check, include information related 

3 to each disqualifying crime, in a report to the 

4 staff member or prospective staff member. 

5 ‘‘(C) PUBLIC RELEASE OF RESULTS.—No 

6 State shall publicly release or share the results 

7 of individual background checks, however, such 

8 results of background checks may be included 

9 in the development or dissemination of local or 

10 statewide data related to background checks, if 

11 such results are not individually identifiable. 

12 ‘‘(3) APPEALS.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The State shall pro14 vide for a process by which a child care staff 

15 member (including a prospective child care staff 

16 member) may appeal the results of a criminal 

17 background check conducted under this section 

18 to challenge the accuracy or completeness of the 

19 information contained in such member’s crimi20 nal background report. 

21 ‘‘(B) APPEALS PROCESS.—The State shall 

22 ensure that— 

23 ‘‘(i) each child care staff member shall 

24 be given notice of the opportunity to ap25 peal; 
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1 ‘‘(ii) a child care staff member will re2 ceive instructions about how to complete 

3 the appeals process if the child care staff 

4 member wishes to challenge the accuracy 

5 or completeness of the information con6 tained in such member’s criminal back7 ground report; and 

8 ‘‘(iii) the appeals process is completed 

9 in a timely manner for each child care 

10 staff member. 

11 ‘‘(4) REVIEW.—The State may allow for a re12 view process through which the State may determine 

13 that a child care staff member (including a prospec14 tive child care staff member) disqualified for a crime 

15 specified in subsection (c)(1)(D)(ix) is eligible for 

16 employment described in subsection (c)(1), notwith17 standing subsection (c). The review process shall be 

18 consistent with title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 

19 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.). 

20 ‘‘(5) NO PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION.—Nothing 

21 in this section shall be construed to create a private 

22 right of action if the provider is in compliance with 

23 State regulations and requirements. 

24 ‘‘(f) FEES FOR BACKGROUND CHECKS.—Fees that a 

25 State may charge for the costs of processing applications 
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1 and administering a criminal background check as re2 quired by this section shall not exceed the actual costs to 

3 the State for the processing and administration. 

4 ‘‘(g) CONSTRUCTION.— 

5 ‘‘(1) DISQUALIFICATION FOR OTHER CRIMES.— 

6 Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent 

7 a State from disqualifying individuals as child care 

8 staff members based on their conviction for crimes 

9 not specifically listed in this section that bear upon 

10 the fitness of an individual to provide care for and 

11 have responsibility for the safety and well-being of 

12 children. 

13 ‘‘(2) RIGHTS AND REMEDIES.—Nothing in this 

14 section shall be construed to alter or otherwise affect 

15 the rights and remedies provided for child care staff 

16 members residing in a State that disqualifies individ17 uals as child care staff members for crimes not spe18 cifically provided for under this section. 

19 ‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

20 ‘‘(1) the term ‘child care provider’ means a cen21 ter-based child care provider, a family child care 

22 provider, or another provider of child care services 

23 for compensation and on a regular basis that— 
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1 ‘‘(A) is not an individual who is related to 

2 all children for whom child care services are 

3 provided; and 

4 ‘‘(B) is licensed, regulated, or registered 

5 under State law or receives assistance provided 

6 in accordance with this subchapter; and 

7 ‘‘(2) the term ‘child care staff member’ means 

8 an individual (other than an individual who is re9 lated to all children for whom child care services are 

10 provided)— 

11 ‘‘(A) who is employed by a child care pro12 vider for compensation; 

13 ‘‘(B) whose activities involve the care or 

14 supervision of children for a child care provider 

15 or unsupervised access to children who are 

16 cared for or supervised by a child care provider; 

17 or 

18 ‘‘(C) who is a family child care provider. 

19 ‘‘(i) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A State that receives funds 

21 under this subchapter shall meet the requirements of 

22 this section for the provision of criminal background 

23 checks for child care staff members described in sub24 section (d)(1) not later than the last day of the sec25 ond full fiscal year after the date of enactment of 
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1 the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 

2 2014. 

3 ‘‘(2) EXTENSION.—The Secretary may grant a 

4 State an extension of time, of not more than 1 fiscal 

5 year, to meet the requirements of this section if the 

6 State demonstrates a good faith effort to comply 

7 with the requirements of this section. 

8 ‘‘(3) PENALTY FOR NONCOMPLIANCE.—Except 

9 as provided in paragraphs (1) and (2), for any fiscal 

10 year that a State fails to comply substantially with 

11 the requirements of this section, the Secretary shall 

12 withhold 5 percent of the funds that would otherwise 

13 be allocated to that State in accordance with this 

14 subchapter for the following fiscal year.’’. 

15 SEC. 8. REPORTS AND INFORMATION. 

16 (a) ADMINISTRATION.—Section 658I of the Child 

17 Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 

18 U.S.C. 9858g) is amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (a)— 

20 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

21 (i) by inserting a comma after ‘‘pub22 lish’’; and 

23 (ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

24 (B) by striking paragraph (3) and insert25 ing the following: 
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1 ‘‘(3) provide technical assistance to States 

2 (which may include providing assistance on a reim3 bursable basis), consistent with (as appropriate) sci4 entifically valid research, to carry out this sub5 chapter;’’; and 

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

7 ‘‘(4) disseminate, for voluntary informational 

8 purposes, information on practices that scientifically 

9 valid research indicates are most successful in im10 proving the quality of programs that receive assist11 ance with this subchapter; 

12 ‘‘(5) after consultation with the Secretary of 

13 Education and the heads of any other Federal agen14 cies involved, issue guidance, and disseminate infor15 mation on best practices, regarding use of funding 

16 combined by States as described in section 

17 658E(c)(2)(O)(ii), consistent with law other than 

18 this subchapter.’’; and 

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

20 ‘‘(c) PROHIBITION.—Nothing in this subchapter shall 

21 be construed as providing the Secretary the authority to 

22 permit States to alter the eligibility requirements for eligi23 ble children, including work requirements that apply to the 

24 parents of eligible children.’’. 
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1 (b) REQUESTS FOR RELIEF.—Section 658I of the 

2 Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, 

3 as amended by subsection (a), is further amended by add4 ing at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(d) REQUEST FOR RELIEF.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The State may submit to 

7 the Secretary a request for relief from any provision 

8 of Federal law (including a regulation, policy, or 

9 procedure) affecting the delivery of child care serv10 ices with Federal funds, other than this subchapter, 

11 that conflicts with a requirement of this subchapter. 

12 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Such request shall— 

13 ‘‘(A) detail the provision of Federal law 

14 that conflicts with that requirement; 

15 ‘‘(B) describe how modifying compliance 

16 with that provision of Federal law to meet the 

17 requirements of this subchapter will, by itself, 

18 improve delivery of child care services for chil19 dren in the State; and 

20 ‘‘(C) certify that the health, safety, and 

21 well-being of children served through assistance 

22 received under this subchapter will not be com23 promised as a result. 

24 ‘‘(3) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall con25 sult with the State submitting the request and the 
73 

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1 head of each Federal agency (other than the Sec2 retary) with responsibility for administering the 

3 Federal law detailed in the State’s request. The con4 sulting parties shall jointly identify— 

5 ‘‘(A) any provision of Federal law (includ6 ing a regulation, policy, or procedure) for which 

7 a waiver is necessary to enable the State to pro8 vide services in accordance with the request; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(B) any corresponding waiver. 

11 ‘‘(4) WAIVERS.—Notwithstanding any other 

12 provision of law, and after the joint identification de13 scribed in paragraph (3), the head of the Federal 

14 agency involved shall have the authority to waive 

15 any statutory provision administered by that agency, 

16 or any regulation, policy, or procedure issued by that 

17 agency, that has been so identified, unless the head 

18 of the Federal agency determines that such a waiver 

19 is inconsistent with the objectives of this subchapter 

20 or the Federal law from which relief is sought. 

21 ‘‘(5) APPROVAL.—Within 90 days after the re22 ceipt of a State’s request under this subsection, the 

23 Secretary shall inform the State of the Secretary’s 

24 approval or disapproval of the request. If the plan 

25 is disapproved, the Secretary shall inform the State, 
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1 in writing, of the reasons for the disapproval and 

2 give the State the opportunity to amend the request. 

3 ‘‘(6) DURATION.—The Secretary may approve a 

4 request under this subsection for a period of not 

5 more than 3 years, and may renew the approval for 

6 additional periods of not more than 3 years. 

7 ‘‘(7) TERMINATION.—The Secretary shall ter8 minate approval of a request for relief authorized 

9 under this subsection if the Secretary determines, 

10 after notice and opportunity for a hearing, that the 

11 performance of a State granted relief under this 

12 subsection has been inadequate, or if such relief is 

13 no longer necessary to achieve its original pur14 poses.’’. 

15 (c) REPORTS.—Section 658K(a) of the Child Care 

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

17 9858i(a)) is amended— 

18 (1) in paragraph (1)(B)— 

19 (A) in clause (ix), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

20 end; 

21 (B) in clause (x), by inserting ‘‘and’’ at the 

22 end; and 

23 (C) by inserting after clause (x), the fol24 lowing: 
75 

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1 ‘‘(xi) whether the children receiving 

2 assistance under this subchapter are home3 less children;’’; and 

4 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

5 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

6 (A), by striking ‘‘1997’’ and inserting ‘‘2014’’; 

7 and 

8 (B) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘sec9 tion 658P(5)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 658P(6)’’. 

10 (d) REPORT BY SECRETARY.—Section 658L of the 

11 Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 

12 U.S.C. 9858j) is amended— 

13 (1) by striking the section heading and insert14 ing the following: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 658L. REPORTS, HOTLINE, AND WEB SITE.’’; 

16 (2) by striking ‘‘Not later’’ and inserting the 

17 following: 

18 ‘‘(a) REPORT BY SECRETARY.—Not later’’; 

19 (3) by striking ‘‘1998’’ and inserting ‘‘2016’’; 

20 and 

21 (4) by striking ‘‘to the Committee’’ and all that 

22 follows through ‘‘of the Senate’’ and inserting ‘‘to 

23 the Committee on Education and the Workforce of 

24 the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
76 

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1 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Sen2 ate’’; and 

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

4 ‘‘(b) NATIONAL TOLL-FREE HOTLINE AND WEB

5 SITE.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall operate 

7 a national toll-free hotline and Web site, to— 

8 ‘‘(A) develop and disseminate publicly 

9 available child care consumer education infor10 mation for parents and help parents access 

11 safe, affordable, and quality child care in their 

12 community; and 

13 ‘‘(B) to allow persons to report (anony14 mously if desired) suspected child abuse or ne15 glect, or violations of health and safety require16 ments, by an eligible child care provider that re17 ceives assistance under this subchapter. 

18 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall en19 sure that the hotline and Web site meet the fol20 lowing requirements: 

21 ‘‘(A) REFERRAL TO LOCAL CHILD CARE

22 PROVIDERS.—The Web site shall be hosted by 

23 ‘childcare.gov’. The Web site shall enable a 

24 child care consumer to enter a zip code and ob25 tain a referral to local child care providers de-
77 

†S 1086 ES

1 scribed in subparagraph (B) within a specified 

2 search radius. 

3 ‘‘(B) INFORMATION.—The Web site shall 

4 provide to consumers, directly or through link5 ages to State databases, at a minimum— 

6 ‘‘(i) a localized list of all State li7 censed child care providers; 

8 ‘‘(ii) any provider-specific information 

9 from a Quality Rating and Improvement 

10 System or information about other quality 

11 indicators, to the extent the information is 

12 publicly available and to the extent prac13 ticable; 

14 ‘‘(iii) any other provider-specific infor15 mation about compliance with licensing, 

16 and health and safety, requirements to the 

17 extent the information is publicly available 

18 and to the extent practicable; 

19 ‘‘(iv) referrals to local resource and 

20 referral organizations from which con21 sumers can find more information about 

22 child care providers, and a recommenda23 tion that consumers consult with the orga24 nizations when selecting a child care pro25 vider; and 
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1 ‘‘(v) State information about child 

2 care subsidy programs and other financial 

3 supports available to families. 

4 ‘‘(C) NATIONWIDE CAPACITY.—The Web 

5 site and hotline shall have the capacity to help 

6 families in every State and community in the 

7 Nation. 

8 ‘‘(D) INFORMATION AT ALL HOURS.—The 

9 Web site shall provide, to parents and families, 

10 access to information about child care 24 hours 

11 a day. 

12 ‘‘(E) SERVICES IN DIFFERENT LAN13 GUAGES.—The Web site and hotline shall en14 sure the widest possible access to services for 

15 families who speak languages other than 

16 English. 

17 ‘‘(F) HIGH-QUALITY CONSUMER EDU18 CATION AND REFERRAL.—The Web site and 

19 hotline shall ensure that families have access to 

20 child care consumer education and referral serv21 ices that are consistent and of high quality. 

22 ‘‘(3) PROHIBITION.—Nothing in this subsection 

23 shall be construed to allow the Secretary to compel 

24 States to provide additional data and information 

25 that is currently (as of the date of enactment of the 
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1 Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 

2 2014) not publicly available, or is not required by 

3 this subchapter.’’. 

4 (e) PROTECTION OF INFORMATION.—Section 

5 658K(a)(1) of the Child Care and Development Block 

6 Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858i(a)(1)) is amended 

7 by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(E) PROHIBITION.—Reports submitted to 

9 the Secretary under subparagraph (C) shall not 

10 contain individually identifiable information.’’. 

11 SEC. 9. RESERVATION FOR TOLL-FREE HOTLINE AND WEB 

12 SITE; PAYMENTS TO BENEFIT INDIAN CHIL13 DREN. 

14 Section 658O of the Child Care and Development 

15 Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858m) is amend16 ed— 

17 (1) in subsection (a)— 

18 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

19 (i) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and 

20 inserting the following: 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; 

22 (ii) by striking ‘‘1 percent, and not 

23 more than 2 percent,’’ and inserting ‘‘2 

24 percent’’; and 
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1 (iii) by adding at the end the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(B) LIMITATIONS.—Notwithstanding sub4 paragraph (A), the Secretary shall only reserve 

5 an amount that is greater than 2 percent of the 

6 amount appropriated under section 658B, for 

7 payments described in subparagraph (A), for a 

8 fiscal year (referred to in this subparagraph as 

9 the ‘reservation year’) if — 

10 ‘‘(i) the amount appropriated under 

11 section 658B for the reservation year is 

12 greater than the amount appropriated 

13 under section 658B for fiscal year 2014; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(ii) the Secretary ensures that the 

16 amount allotted to States under subsection 

17 (b) for the reservation year is not less than 

18 the amount allotted to States under sub19 section (b) for fiscal year 2014.’’; and 

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

21 ‘‘(3) NATIONAL TOLL-FREE HOTLINE AND WEB

22 SITE.—The Secretary shall reserve not less than 

23 $1,000,000 of the amount appropriated under this 

24 subchapter for each fiscal year for the operation of 
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1 a national toll-free hotline and Web site, under sec2 tion 658L(b).’’; and 

3 (2) in subsection (c)— 

4 (A) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘(D) LICENSING AND STANDARDS.—In 

7 lieu of any licensing and regulatory require8 ments applicable under State or local law, the 

9 Secretary, in consultation with Indian tribes 

10 and tribal organizations, shall develop minimum 

11 child care standards that shall be applicable to 

12 Indian tribes and tribal organizations receiving 

13 assistance under this subchapter. Such stand14 ards shall appropriately reflect Indian tribe and 

15 tribal organization needs and available re16 sources, and shall include standards requiring a 

17 publicly available application, health and safety 

18 standards, and standards requiring a reserva19 tion of funds for activities to improve the qual20 ity of child care provided to Indian children.’’; 

21 and 

22 (B) in paragraph (6), by striking subpara23 graph (C) and inserting the following: 

24 ‘‘(C) LIMITATION.— 
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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro2 vided in clause (ii), the Secretary may not 

3 permit an Indian tribe or tribal organiza4 tion to use amounts provided under this 

5 subsection for construction or renovation if 

6 the use will result in a decrease in the level 

7 of child care services provided by the In8 dian tribe or tribal organization as com9 pared to the level of child care services 

10 provided by the Indian tribe or tribal orga11 nization in the fiscal year preceding the 

12 year for which the determination under 

13 subparagraph (B) is being made. 

14 ‘‘(ii) WAIVER.—The Secretary shall 

15 waive the limitation described in clause (i) 

16 if— 

17 ‘‘(I) the Secretary determines 

18 that the decrease in the level of child 

19 care services provided by the Indian 

20 tribe or tribal organization is tem21 porary; and 

22 ‘‘(II) the Indian tribe or tribal 

23 organization submits to the Secretary 

24 a plan that demonstrates that after 
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1 the date on which the construction or 

2 renovation is completed— 

3 ‘‘(aa) the level of child care 

4 services will increase; or 

5 ‘‘(bb) the quality of child 

6 care services will improve.’’. 

7 SEC. 10. DEFINITIONS. 

8 Section 658P of the Child Care and Development 

9 Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n) is amended— 

10 (1) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the 

11 following: 

12 ‘‘(3) CHILD WITH A DISABILITY.—The term 

13 ‘child with a disability’ means— 

14 ‘‘(A) a child with a disability, as defined in 

15 section 602 of the Individuals with Disabilities 

16 Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401); 

17 ‘‘(B) a child who is eligible for early inter18 vention services under part C of the Individuals 

19 with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 

20 1431 et seq.); 

21 ‘‘(C) a child who is less than 13 years of 

22 age and who is eligible for services under sec23 tion 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 

24 U.S.C. 794); and 
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1 ‘‘(D) a child with a disability, as defined 

2 by the State involved. 

3 ‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE CHILD.—The term ‘eligible 

4 child’ means an individual— 

5 ‘‘(A) who is less than 13 years of age; 

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

7 85 percent of the State median income for a 

8 family of the same size, and whose family assets 

9 do not exceed $1,000,000 (as certified by a 

10 member of such family); and 

11 ‘‘(C) who— 

12 ‘‘(i) resides with a parent or parents 

13 who are working or attending a job train14 ing or educational program; or 

15 ‘‘(ii) is receiving, or needs to receive, 

16 protective services and resides with a par17 ent or parents not described in clause (i).’’; 

18 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (5) through 

19 (9) as paragraphs (6) through (10), respectively; 

20 (3) by inserting after paragraph (4), the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(5) ENGLISH LEARNER.—The term ‘English 

23 learner’ means an individual who is limited English 

24 proficient, as defined in section 9101 of the Elemen25 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
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1 U.S.C. 7801) or section 637 of the Head Start Act 

2 (42 U.S.C. 9832).’’; 

3 (4) in paragraph (6)(A), as redesignated by 

4 paragraph (2)— 

5 (A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘section 

6 658E(c)(2)(E)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 

7 658E(c)(2)(F)’’; and 

8 (B) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘section 

9 658E(c)(2)(F)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 

10 658E(c)(2)(I)’’; 

11 (5) in paragraph (9), as redesignated by para12 graph (2), by striking ‘‘designated’’ and all that fol13 lows and inserting ‘‘designated or established under 

14 section 658D(a).’’; 

15 (6) in paragraph (10), as redesignated by para16 graph (2), by inserting ‘‘, foster parent,’’ after 

17 ‘‘guardian’’; 

18 (7) by redesignating paragraphs (11) through 

19 (14) as paragraphs (12) through (15), respectively; 

20 and 

21 (8) by inserting after paragraph (10), as redes22 ignated by paragraph (2), the following: 

23 ‘‘(11) SCIENTIFICALLY VALID RESEARCH.—The 

24 term ‘scientifically valid research’ includes applied 

25 research, basic research, and field-initiated research, 
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1 for which the rationale, design, and interpretation 

2 are soundly developed in accordance with principles 

3 of scientific research.’’. 

4 SEC. 10A. PARENTAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES. 

5 Section 658Q of the Child Care and Development 

6 Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858o) is amended— 

7 (1) by inserting before ‘‘Nothing’’ the following: 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—’’; and 

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

10 ‘‘(b) PARENTAL RIGHTS TO USE CHILD CARE CER11 TIFICATES.—Nothing in this subchapter shall be con12 strued in a manner— 

13 ‘‘(1) to favor or promote the use of grants and 

14 contracts for the receipt of child care services under 

15 this subchapter over the use of child care certifi16 cates; or 

17 ‘‘(2) to disfavor or discourage the use of such 

18 certificates for the purchase of child care services, 

19 including those services provided by private or non20 profit entities, such as faith-based providers.’’. 

21 SEC. 11. STUDIES ON WAITING LISTS. 

22 (a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the United 

23 States shall conduct studies to determine, for each State, 

24 the number of families that— 
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1 (1) are eligible to receive assistance under the 

2 Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 

3 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.); 

4 (2) have applied for the assistance; and 

5 (3) have been placed on a waiting list for the 

6 assistance. 

7 (b) REPORT.—The Comptroller General shall prepare 

8 a report containing the results of each study and shall sub9 mit the report to the appropriate committees of Con10 gress— 

11 (1) not later than 2 years after the date of en12 actment of this Act; and 

13 (2) every 2 years thereafter. 

14 (c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘State’’ 

15 has the meaning given the term in section 658P of the 

16 Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 

17 U.S.C. 9858n). 

18 SEC. 12. CONFORMING AMENDMENT. 

19 Section 319C–1(b)(2)(A)(vii) of the Public Health 

20 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d–3a(b)(2)(A)(vii)) is amended 

21 by inserting ‘‘or established’’ after ‘‘designated’’. 

22 SEC. 13. REVIEW OF FEDERAL EARLY LEARNING AND CARE 

23 PROGRAMS. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

25 Human Services, in conjunction with the Secretary of 
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1 Education, shall conduct an interdepartmental review of 

2 all early learning and care programs in order to— 

3 (1) develop a plan for the elimination of dupli4 cative and overlapping programs, as identified by the 

5 Government Accountability Office’s 2012 annual re6 port (GAO–12–342SP); and 

7 (2) make recommendations to Congress for 

8 streamlining all such programs. 

9 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

10 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and 

11 Human Services, in consultation with the Secretary of 

12 Education and the heads of all Federal agencies that ad13 minister Federal early learning and care programs, shall 

14 submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 

15 and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Edu16 cation and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, 

17 a detailed report that outlines the efficiencies that can be 

18 achieved by, as well as specific recommendations for, elimi19 nating duplication, overlap, and fragmentation among all 

20 Federal early learning and care programs. 

21 SEC. 14. SAFE CHILD CARE ACT. 

22 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the 

23 ‘‘Safe Child Care Act of 2014’’. 
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1 (b) BACKGROUND CHECKS.—Section 231 of the 

2 Crime Control Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 13041) is amend3 ed— 

4 (1) in subsection (a)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘sub6 section (b)(3)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (3)’’; 

7 and 

8 (B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 

9 paragraph (4); 

10 (2) by moving paragraphs (2) and (3) of sub11 section (b) to subsection (a), and inserting them 

12 after paragraph (1) of that subsection; 

13 (3) in subsection (a)(3), as redesignated by 

14 paragraph (2) of this subsection, by striking ‘‘sub15 section (a)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (1)’’; 

16 (4) in subsection (b), by striking paragraph (1) 

17 and inserting the following: 

18 ‘‘(1) A background check required by subsection (a) 

19 shall be initiated through the personnel programs of the 

20 applicable Federal agencies. 

21 ‘‘(2) A background check for a child care staff mem22 ber under subsection (a) shall include— 

23 ‘‘(A) a search, including a fingerprint check, of 

24 the State criminal registry or repository in— 
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1 ‘‘(i) the State where the child care staff 

2 member resides; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) each State where the child care staff 

4 member previously resided during the longer 

5 of— 

6 ‘‘(I) the 10-year period ending on the 

7 date on which the background check is ini8 tiated; or 

9 ‘‘(II) the period beginning on the date 

10 on which the child care staff member at11 tained 18 years of age and ending on the 

12 date on which the background check is ini13 tiated; 

14 ‘‘(B) a search of State-based child abuse and 

15 neglect registries and databases in— 

16 ‘‘(i) the State where the child care staff 

17 member resides; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) each State where the child care staff 

19 member previously resided during the longer 

20 of— 

21 ‘‘(I) the 10-year period ending on the 

22 date on which the background check is ini23 tiated; or 

24 ‘‘(II) the period beginning on the date 

25 on which the child care staff member at-
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1 tained 18 years of age and ending on the 

2 date on which the background check is ini3 tiated; 

4 ‘‘(C) a search of the National Crime Informa5 tion Center database; 

6 ‘‘(D) a Federal Bureau of Investigation finger7 print check using the Integrated Automated Finger8 print Identification System; 

9 ‘‘(E) a search of the National Sex Offender 

10 Registry established under the Adam Walsh Child 

11 Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 

12 16901 et seq.); and 

13 ‘‘(F) a search of the State sex offender registry 

14 established under that Act in— 

15 ‘‘(i) the State where the child care staff 

16 member resides; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) each State where the child care staff 

18 member previously resided during the longer 

19 of— 

20 ‘‘(I) the 10-year period ending on the 

21 date on which the background check is ini22 tiated; or 

23 ‘‘(II) the period beginning on the date 

24 on which the child care staff member at25 tained 18 years of age and ending on the 
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1 date on which the background check is ini2 tiated. 

3 ‘‘(3) A child care staff member shall be ineligible for 

4 employment by a child care provider if such individual— 

5 ‘‘(A) refuses to consent to the background 

6 check described in subsection (a); 

7 ‘‘(B) makes a false statement in connection 

8 with such background check; 

9 ‘‘(C) is registered, or is required to be reg10 istered, on a State sex offender registry or the Na11 tional Sex Offender Registry established under the 

12 Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 

13 2006; or 

14 ‘‘(D) has been convicted of a felony consisting 

15 of— 

16 ‘‘(i) murder, as described in section 1111 

17 of title 18, United States Code; 

18 ‘‘(ii) child abuse or neglect; 

19 ‘‘(iii) a crime against children, including 

20 child pornography; 

21 ‘‘(iv) spousal abuse; 

22 ‘‘(v) a crime involving rape or sexual as23 sault; 

24 ‘‘(vi) kidnapping; 

25 ‘‘(vii) arson; 
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1 ‘‘(viii) physical assault or battery; or 

2 ‘‘(ix) subject to paragraph (5)(D), a drug3 related offense committed during the preceding 

4 5 years. 

5 ‘‘(4)(A) A child care provider covered by paragraph 

6 (3) shall submit a request, to the appropriate State agency 

7 designated by a State, for a background check described 

8 in subsection (a), for each child care staff member (includ9 ing prospective child care staff members) of the provider. 

10 ‘‘(B) In the case of an individual who is hired as a 

11 child care staff member before the date of enactment of 

12 the Safe Child Care Act of 2014, the provider shall submit 

13 such a request— 

14 ‘‘(i) prior to the last day of the second full fis15 cal year after that date of enactment; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) not less often than once during each 5- 

17 year period following the first submission date under 

18 this subparagraph for that staff member. 

19 ‘‘(C) In the case of an individual who is a prospective 

20 child care staff member on or after that date of enact21 ment, the provider shall submit such a request— 

22 ‘‘(i) prior to the date the individual becomes a 

23 child care staff member of the provider; and 
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1 ‘‘(ii) not less often than once during each 5- 

2 year period following the first submission date under 

3 this subparagraph for that staff member. 

4 ‘‘(5)(A) The State shall— 

5 ‘‘(i) carry out the request of a child care pro6 vider for a background check described in subsection 

7 (a) as expeditiously as possible; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) in accordance with subparagraph (B) of 

9 this paragraph, provide the results of the back10 ground check to— 

11 ‘‘(I) the child care provider; and 

12 ‘‘(II) the current or prospective child care 

13 staff member for whom the background check is 

14 conducted. 

15 ‘‘(B)(i) The State shall provide the results of a back16 ground check to a child care provider as required under 

17 subparagraph (A)(ii)(I) in a statement that— 

18 ‘‘(I) indicates whether the current or prospec19 tive child care staff member for whom the back20 ground check is conducted is eligible or ineligible for 

21 employment by a child care provider; and 

22 ‘‘(II) does not reveal any disqualifying crime or 

23 other related information regarding the current or 

24 prospective child care staff member. 
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1 ‘‘(ii) If a current or prospective child care staff mem2 ber is ineligible for employment by a child care provider 

3 due to a background check described in subsection (a), the 

4 State shall provide the results of the background check 

5 to the current or prospective child care staff member as 

6 required under subparagraph (A)(ii)(II) in a criminal 

7 background report that includes information relating to 

8 each disqualifying crime. 

9 ‘‘(iii) A State— 

10 ‘‘(I) may not publicly release or share the re11 sults of an individual background check described in 

12 subsection (a); and 

13 ‘‘(II) may include the results of background 

14 checks described in subsection (a) in the develop15 ment or dissemination of local or statewide data re16 lating to background checks if the results are not in17 dividually identifiable. 

18 ‘‘(C)(i) The State shall provide for a process by which 

19 a child care staff member (including a prospective child 

20 care staff member) may appeal the results of a back21 ground check required under subsection (a) to challenge 

22 the accuracy or completeness of the information contained 

23 in the criminal background report of the staff member. 

24 ‘‘(ii) The State shall ensure that— 
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1 ‘‘(I) the appeals process is completed in a time2 ly manner for each child care staff member; 

3 ‘‘(II) each child care staff member is given no4 tice of the opportunity to appeal; and 

5 ‘‘(III) each child care staff member who wishes 

6 to challenge the accuracy or completeness of the in7 formation in the criminal background report of the 

8 child care staff member is given instructions about 

9 how to complete the appeals process. 

10 ‘‘(D)(i) The State may allow for a review process 

11 through which the State may determine that a child care 

12 staff member (including a prospective child care staff 

13 member) disqualified for a crime specified in paragraph 

14 (3)(D)(ix) is eligible for employment by a child care pro15 vider, notwithstanding paragraph (3). 

16 ‘‘(ii) The review process under this subparagraph 

17 shall be consistent with title VII of the Civil Rights Act 

18 of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.). 

19 ‘‘(E) Nothing in this section shall be construed to cre20 ate a private right of action against a child care provider 

21 if the child care provider is in compliance with this section. 

22 ‘‘(F) This section shall apply to each State that re23 ceives funding under the Child Care and Development 

24 Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.). 
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1 ‘‘(6) Fees that the State may charge for the costs 

2 of conducting a background check as required by sub3 section (a) shall not exceed the actual costs to the State 

4 for the administration of such background checks. 

5 ‘‘(7) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to 

6 prevent a Federal agency from disqualifying an individual 

7 as a child care staff member based on a conviction of the 

8 individual for a crime not specifically listed in this sub9 section that bears upon the fitness of an individual to pro10 vide care for and have responsibility for the safety and 

11 well-being of children. 

12 ‘‘(8) In this subsection— 

13 ‘‘(A) the term ‘child care provider’ means an 

14 agency of the Federal Government, or a unit of or 

15 contractor with the Federal Government that is op16 erating a facility, described in subsection (a); and 

17 ‘‘(B) the term ‘child care staff member’ means 

18 an individual who is hired, or seeks to be hired, by 

19 a child care provider to be involved with the provi20 sion of child care services, as described in subsection 

21 (a).’’; and 

22 (5) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the 

23 following: 

24 ‘‘(c) SUSPENSION PENDING DISPOSITION OF CRIMI25 NAL CASE.—In the case of an incident in which an indi-
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1 vidual has been charged with an offense described in sub2 section (b)(3)(D) and the charge has not yet been disposed 

3 of, an employer may suspend an employee from having 

4 any contact with children while on the job until the case 

5 is resolved.’’. 

6 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

7 this section shall take effect on October 1 of the second 

8 full fiscal year after the date of enactment of this Act. 

9 SEC. 15. ALLOTMENT OF SPACE IN FEDERAL BUILDINGS 

10 FOR CHILD CARE. 

11 Section 590 of title 40, United States Code, is 

12 amended— 

13 (1) by redesignating subsections (a) through (g) 

14 as subsections (b) through (h), respectively; 

15 (2) by inserting before subsection (b) (as so re16 designated) the following: 

17 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEE.—In this 

18 section, the term ‘Federal employee’ does not include a 

19 person that— 

20 ‘‘(1) is not employed by the Federal Govern21 ment; and 

22 ‘‘(2) meets the requirements described in sub23 section (c)(2)(C)(i)(II).’’; 
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1 (3) in paragraph (2)(C) of subsection (c) (as so 

2 redesignated), by striking clause (i) and inserting 

3 the following: 

4 ‘‘(i) the space will be used to provide 

5 child care services to children of whom at 

6 least 50 percent have 1 parent or guardian 

7 who— 

8 ‘‘(I) is employed by the Federal 

9 Government; or 

10 ‘‘(II)(aa) has met the require11 ments for a master’s degree or a doc12 torate degree from an institution of 

13 higher education (as defined in section 

14 102 of the Higher Education Act of 

15 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)); and 

16 ‘‘(bb) is conducting research in 

17 the Federal building under an ar18 rangement between the parent or 

19 guardian and a Federal agency.’’; and 

20 (4) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated), by 

21 striking ‘‘subsection (b)’’ each place it appears and 

22 inserting ‘‘subsection (c)’’. 
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1 SEC. 16. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON SIGNIFICANTLY REDUC2 ING CHILD POVERTY BY CALENDAR YEAR 

3 2019. 

4 (a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that— 

5 (1) the United States has the highest rate of 

6 childhood poverty among 34 major countries in the 

7 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Devel8 opment, including Denmark, Finland, Norway, Ice9 land, Cyprus, Austria, Sweden, the Czech Republic, 

10 Germany, Slovenia, Hungary, South Korea, the 

11 United Kingdom, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Ire12 land, France, Malta, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Esto13 nia, Belgium, New Zealand, Poland, Canada, Aus14 tralia, Japan, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, 

15 Latvia, Spain, and Bulgaria; 

16 (2) a record-breaking 46,496,000 individuals 

17 lived in poverty in the United States in 2012, which 

18 is an increase of 14,915,000 individuals since 2000; 

19 (3) 16,073,000 children in the United States 

20 lived in poverty in 2012, which is an increase of 

21 4,486,000 children since 2000; 

22 (4) more than 7,100,000 children in the United 

23 States, 40 percent of children living in poverty in the 

24 United States, live in extreme poverty (defined as 

25 living in families with an income that is less than 

26 half of the poverty level); 
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1 (5) nearly 1,200,000 public school students in 

2 the United States were homeless in the 2011–2012 

3 school year, an increase of 73 percent since the 

4 2006–2007 school year; 

5 (6) in an average month in fiscal year 2011, 

6 1,200,000 households with children in the United 

7 States did not have any cash income and, for food, 

8 depended only on benefits under the supplemental 

9 nutrition assistance program established under the 

10 Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et 

11 seq.); 

12 (7) in 2012, government assistance programs 

13 removed from poverty 9,000,000 children, including 

14 5,300,000 children through the earned income tax 

15 credit under section 32 of the Internal Revenue 

16 Code of 1986 and the child tax credit under section 

17 24 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and 

18 2,200,000 children through the supplemental nutri19 tion assistance program established under the Food 

20 and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.); 

21 (8) in 2012, child poverty would have been 57 

22 percent higher, and extreme poverty would have 

23 been 240 percent higher, without government tax 

24 credits and food, housing, and energy benefits; 
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1 (9) in 2013, an individual working full-time at 

2 the Federal minimum wage could not afford the fair 

3 market rent for a 2-bedroom rental unit and have 

4 enough money for food, utilities, and other neces5 sities; 

6 (10) in school years 2009–2010 and 2010– 

7 2011, less than half of children ages 3 and 4 were 

8 enrolled in preschool; 

9 (11) Early Head Start programs carried out 

10 under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.) 

11 served only 4 percent of the 2,900,000 eligible poor 

12 infants and toddlers each day in fiscal year 2012, 

13 and Head Start programs carried out under such 

14 Act served only 41 percent of the 2,000,000 eligible 

15 poor children ages 3 and 4; 

16 (12) more than 220,000 children are on waiting 

17 lists for child care assistance; and 

18 (13) child poverty costs the United States not 

19 less than $500,000,000 each year in additional edu20 cation, health, and criminal justice costs and in lost 

21 productivity. 

22 (b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the 

23 Senate that the President should immediately present to 
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1 Congress a comprehensive plan to significantly reduce 

2 child poverty in the United States by calendar year 2019. 

Passed the Senate March 13, 2014. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 
113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1086 

AN ACT 

To reauthorize and improve the Child Care and Deother purposes. velopment Block Grant Act of 1990, and for