Providing Child Care for Police Officers Act of 2023

To establish a grant pilot program to provide child care services for the minor children of law enforcement officers to accommodate the shift work and abnormal work hours of such officers, and to enhance recruitment and retention of such officers. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Providing Child Care for Police Officers Act of 2023 2. Child care grant program to support law enforcement (a) Establishment The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish a program to award grants to States, on a competitive basis, to assist States in providing funds to encourage the establishment and operation of child care programs to obtain child care services for the minor children of law enforcement officers during the shift work and abnormal work hours of such officers. (b) Application To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a State shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including an assurance that the funds required under subsection (e) will be provided. (c) Period of grant The Secretary shall make the grant for a period of 3 years. (d) Set-Aside Of the amount appropriated to carry out this Act for a fiscal year, not less than 20 percent shall be used to make grants to eligible units of State and local government that employ fewer than 200 full-time law enforcement officers. (e) Use of funds (1) In general A State shall use amounts provided under a grant awarded under this section to provide assistance to law enforcement agencies (or consortia formed in accordance with paragraph (3)) located in the State to enable the small businesses (or consortia) to establish and operate child care programs. Such assistance may include— (A) technical assistance in the establishment of a child care program; (B) assistance for the startup costs related to a child care program; (C) assistance for the training of child care providers; (D) scholarships for families; (E) the provision of services to care for sick children or to provide care to school-aged children; (F) the entering into of contracts with local resource and referral organizations or local health departments; (G) assistance for care for children with disabilities; (H) assistance to maintain nonstandard hours for expanded hours of child care; (I) payment of expenses for construction, renovation or operation of a child care facility, notwithstanding section 658F(b) of the CCDBG Act; or (J) assistance for any other relevant activity determined appropriate by the State. (2) Application In order for a law enforcement agency or consortium to be eligible to receive assistance from a State under this section, the law enforcement agency or unit of local government involved shall prepare and submit to the State an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the State may require. (4) Limitations With respect to grant funds received under this section, a State may not provide in excess of $3,000,000 in assistance from such funds to any single applicant. (f) Matching requirement To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a State shall provide assurances to the Secretary that, with respect to the costs to be incurred by a covered entity receiving assistance in carrying out activities under this section, the covered entity will make available (directly or through donations from public or private entities) non-Federal contributions to such costs in an amount equal to— (1) for the first fiscal year in which the covered entity receives such assistance, not less than 10 percent of such costs; (2) for the second fiscal year in which the covered entity receives such assistance, not less than 25 percent of such costs; and (3) for the third fiscal year in which the covered entity receives such assistance, not less than 33 2/3 (g) Requirements of providers To be eligible to receive assistance under a grant awarded under this section, a child care provider— (1) who receives assistance from a State shall comply with all applicable State and local licensing and regulatory requirements and all applicable health and safety standards in effect in the State; and (2) who receives assistance from an Indian tribe or tribal organization shall comply with all applicable regulatory standards. (h) Administration (1) State responsibility A State shall have responsibility for administering a grant awarded for the State under this section and for monitoring covered entities that receive assistance under such grant. (2) Audits A State shall require each covered entity receiving assistance under the grant awarded under this section to conduct an annual audit with respect to the activities of the covered entity. Such audits shall be submitted to the State. (3) Misuse of funds (A) Repayment If the State determines, through an audit or otherwise, that a covered entity receiving assistance under a grant awarded under this section has misused the assistance, the State shall notify the Secretary of the misuse. The Secretary, upon such a notification, may seek from such a covered entity the repayment of an amount equal to the amount of any such misused assistance plus interest. (B) Appeals process The Secretary shall by regulation provide for an appeals process with respect to repayments under this paragraph. (i) Reporting requirements (1) 2-year study (A) In general Not later than 2 years after the date on which the Secretary first awards grants under this section, the Secretary shall conduct a study to determine— (i) the capacity of covered entities to meet the child care needs of communities within States; (ii) the kinds of consortia that are being formed with respect to child care at the local level to carry out programs funded under this section; and (iii) who is using the programs funded under this section and the income levels of such individuals. (B) Report Not later than 28 months after the date on which the Secretary first awards grants under this section, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the results of the study conducted in accordance with subparagraph (A). (2) 4-year study (A) In general Not later than 4 years after the date on which the Secretary first awards grants under this section, the Secretary shall conduct a study to determine the number of child care facilities that are funded through covered entities that received assistance through a grant awarded under this section and that remain in operation, and the extent to which such facilities are meeting the child care needs of the individuals served by such facilities. (B) Report Not later than 52 months after the date on which the Secretary first awards grants under this section, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the results of the study conducted in accordance with subparagraph (A). (j) Definitions In this section: (1) Career law enforcement officer The term “career law enforcement officer” means a person employed by a State or local public agency on a permanent basis who is authorized by law to engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, or investigation of violations of criminal laws. (2) Consortia The term consortia (3) Covered entity The term covered entity (4) Indian community The term Indian community (5) Indian tribe; tribal organization The terms Indian tribe tribal organization 42 U.S.C. 9858n (6) Law enforcement agency The term law enforcement agency 34 U.S.C. 10533 (7) State The term State 42 U.S.C. 9858n (k) Application to indian tribes and tribal organizations In this section: (1) In general Except as provided in subsection (f)(1), and in paragraphs (2) and (3), the term State (2) Geographic references The term State (3) State-level activities The term State-level activities (l) Authorization of appropriations (1) In general There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $24,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2024 to 2028. (2) Studies and administration With respect to the total amount appropriated for such period in accordance with this subsection, not more than $2,500,000 of that amount may be used for expenditures related to conducting studies required under, and the administration of, this section. (m) Termination of program The program established under subsection (a) shall terminate on September 30, 2028.

Summary: Providing Child Care for Police Officers Act of 2023 This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a grant pilot program for child care services for the children of law enforcement officers. Grants are provided to eligible states to provide assistance to a law enforcement agency or a group of entities to establish and operate child care programs for the minor children of law enforcement officers during shift work and abnormal work hours.