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105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2719
To establish a program to provide child care through public-private
partnerships.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OCTOBERT 23, 1997
Mr. LOWEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Education and the Workforce
A BILL
To establish a program to provide child care through public-
private partnerships.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Child Care Public-
Private Partnership Act of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF BUSINESS INCENTIVE GRANT
PROGRAM.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall
establish a program to make grants to—
(1) businesses and consortia—
(A) to pay start-up costs incurred to pro-
vide child care services; or
(B) to provide additional child care serv-
ices;
needed by the employees of such businesses; and
(2) nonprofit business organizations to provide
technical information and assistance to enable busi-
nesses to provide child care services.
SEC. 3. ELIGIBILITY TO RECEIVE GRANTS.
To be eligible to receive a grant under section 2, a
business, nonprofit business organization, or consortium
shall submit to the Secretary an application in accordance
with section 4.
SEC. 4. APPLICATION.
The application required by section 3 shall be submit-
ted by a business, nonprofit business organization, or con-
sortium at such time, in such form, and containing such
information as the Secretary may require by rule, except
that such application shall contain—
(1) an assurance that the applicant shall ex-
pend, for the purpose for which such grant is made,
an amount not less than 200 percent of the amount
of such grant;
(2) an assurance that such applicant will ex-
pend such grant for the use specified in paragraph
(1) or (2) of section 2, as the case may be;
(3) an assurance that such applicant will em-
ploy strategies to ensure that child care services pro-
vided by such applicant, or provided with the tech-
nical information and assistance made available by
such applicant, are provided at affordable rates, and
on an equitable basis, to low- and moderate-income
employees;
(4) an assurance that such applicant—
(A) in the case of a business or consor-
tium, will comply with all State and local licens-
ing requirements applicable to such business or
consortium concerning the provision of child
care services; or
(B) in the case of a nonprofit business or-
ganization, will employ procedures to ensure
that technical information and assistance pro-
vided under this Act by such business organiza-
tion will be provided only to businesses that
provide child care services in compliance with
all State and local licensing requirements appli-
cable to child care providers in such State; and
(5) in the case of a business or consortium, an
assurance that if the employees of such applicant do
not require all the child care services for which such
grant and the funds required by paragraph (1) are
to be expended by such applicant, the excess of such
child care services shall be made available to families
in the community in which such applicant is located.
SEC. 5. SELECTION OF GRANTEES.
For purposes of selecting applicants to receive grants
under this Act, the Secretary shall give priority to busi-
nesses that have fewer than 100 full-time employees. To
the extent practicable, the Secretary shall—
(1) make grants equitably under this Act to ap-
plicants located in all geographical regions of the
United States; and
(2) give priority to applicants for grants under
section 2(1).
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Act:
(1) BUSINESS.—The term ‘‘business’’ means a
person engaged in commerce whose primary activity
is not providing child care services.
(2) CHILD CARE SERVICES.—The term ‘‘child
care services’’ means care for a child that is—
(A) provided on the site at which a parent
of such child is employed or at a site nearby in
the community; and
(B) subsidized at least in part by the busi-
ness that employs such parent.
(3) CONSORTIUM.—The term ‘‘consortium’’
means 2 or more businesses acting jointly. A consor-
tium may also include a nonprofit private organiza-
tion.
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out
this Act $25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1998
through 2000.
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