I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6312 
To establish a Federal pilot program for cost-sharing of child care expenses 
among employers, employees, and government. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 25, 2025 
Ms. SCHOLTEN (for herself and Mr. JAMES) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addi-
tion to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee con-
cerned 
A BILL 
To establish a Federal pilot program for cost-sharing of 
child care expenses among employers, employees, and 
government. 
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 ‘‘Tri-Share Child Care 
Pilot Act of 2025’’. 
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SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM FOR COST-SHARING OF CHILD 
CARE EXPENSES AMONG EMPLOYERS, EM-
PLOYEES, AND GOVERNMENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 418 of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 618) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(e) PILOT PROGRAM FOR COST-SHARING OF CHILD 
CARE EXPENSES AMONG EMPLOYERS, EMPLOYEES, AND 
GOVERNMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) COMPETITIVE
GRANTS
TO
LEAD
AGEN-
CIES.— 
‘‘(A) APPLICATIONS.—The lead agency of 
a State may apply for a grant under this sub-
section by submitting to the Secretary an appli-
cation that includes— 
‘‘(i) information about which employ-
ers will participate, and how employers will 
be recruited to participate, in the program 
under this subsection; 
‘‘(ii) a certification that funds from 
the grant will not be provided to any child 
care provider who does not meet the health 
and safety requirements referred to in 
paragraph (10)(B); and 
‘‘(iii) a certification that 1⁄3 of the eli-
gible child care costs with respect to an eli-
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gible child that are the subject of an appli-
cation for benefits approved by the lead 
agency under this subsection will be paid 
by each of the following: 
‘‘(I) A parent of the child. 
‘‘(II) A participating employer of 
the parent. 
‘‘(III) The lead agency. 
‘‘(B) APPROVAL.—The Secretary shall ap-
prove applications submitted pursuant to sub-
paragraph (A) on the basis of— 
‘‘(i) the relative demonstrated unmet 
demand for affordable quality child care in 
States; 
‘‘(ii) the relative capacity of States to 
meet that unmet demand; 
‘‘(iii) the relative ability of States to 
identify specific employers committed to 
participate in the program under this sub-
section; 
‘‘(iv) the relative ability of States to 
provide detailed plans to recruit additional 
employers to so participate; and 
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‘‘(v) the relative ability of States to 
ensure equitable statewide geographic ac-
cess to affordable quality child care. 
‘‘(C) AMOUNT OF GRANT.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary 
shall provide to each lead agency whose ap-
plication is approved under subparagraph 
(B) of this paragraph, for each calendar 
quarter in the program period, an amount 
equal to the Federal medical assistance 
percentage for the State for the fiscal year 
(as defined in section 1905(b), as such sec-
tion was in effect on September 30, 1995) 
of the total of the amounts paid by the 
lead agency during the quarter under para-
graph (4) of this subsection or for ex-
penses of administering the program, sub-
ject to clauses (ii) and (iii) of this subpara-
graph and subject to the availability of 
funds to carry out this subsection. 
‘‘(ii) LIMITATION ON REIMBURSABLE 
ADMINISTRATIVE
EXPENSES.—Not more 
than 10 percent of the amounts payable to 
a State under this subparagraph may be 
with respect to administrative expenses. 
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‘‘(iii) LIMITATION
ON
AMOUNT
OF 
GRANT.—The total of the amounts payable 
to a State under this subparagraph shall 
not exceed $20,000,000. 
‘‘(2) EMPLOYER PARTICIPATION.— 
‘‘(A) APPLICATION.—A person who em-
ploys another person in a State may submit to 
the lead agency of the State an application to 
participate in the program carried out by the 
lead agency under this subsection. 
‘‘(B) APPROVAL.—The lead agency may 
approve an application submitted pursuant to 
subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(C) CONSOLIDATED
APPLICATIONS
FOR 
MULTIPLE STATES.—The Secretary shall ensure 
that a person who applies to more than 1 lead 
agency pursuant to subparagraph (A) may sub-
mit a single consolidated application to all such 
lead agencies. 
‘‘(3) APPLICATION FOR BENEFITS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A parent of an eligible 
child employed in a State by a participating em-
ployer may submit to the lead agency of the 
State an application for benefits under this sub-
section, which shall include— 
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‘‘(i) a joint attestation by the em-
ployer and the parent that, if the lead 
agency approves the application, the em-
ployer and the parent will each pay 1⁄3 of 
the eligible child care costs charged by an 
eligible child care provider during a speci-
fied period with respect to the child; 
‘‘(ii) the name and business address 
of the employer; 
‘‘(iii) the name and residential ad-
dress of the parent; 
‘‘(iv) the name, age, and residential 
address of the child; 
‘‘(v) an attestation from the parent 
employee that the parent employee is em-
ployed by the employer; and 
‘‘(vi) sufficient information for the 
lead agency to verify— 
‘‘(I) that the parent is employed 
by the employer; and 
‘‘(II) the family income of the 
family of the parent and child, in each 
pay period. 
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‘‘(B) CONSIDERATION.—In considering ap-
plications submitted pursuant to this sub-
section, a lead agency shall— 
‘‘(i) verify the matters described in 
subparagraph (A)(vi); and 
‘‘(ii) take into account the needs of 
the parents involved and the availability of 
funds provided to the lead agency under 
this subsection. 
‘‘(C) APPROVAL.—The lead agency may 
approve an application submitted pursuant to 
subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(4) PAYMENTS TO CHILD CARE PROVIDERS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The lead agency shall 
pay to an eligible child care provider selected by 
a parent whose application is approved pursu-
ant to paragraph (3) an amount equal to the 
charges of the provider for eligible child care 
costs incurred during the period specified in the 
application with respect to the eligible child 
identified in the application. 
‘‘(B) REIMBURSEMENT BY EMPLOYER AND 
EMPLOYEE.—With respect to each such pay-
ment— 
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‘‘(i) the parent and the employer of 
the parent shall jointly pay to the lead 
agency an amount equal to 2⁄3 of the 
charges of the eligible child care provider; 
and 
‘‘(ii) the parent may consent to the 
employer withholding an amount that is 
not more than 1⁄3 of the charges of the 
provider from the pay of the parent if the 
employer pays the total amount specified 
under clause (i) to the lead agency. 
‘‘(C) PAYMENT
SCHEDULES.—The lead 
agency shall— 
‘‘(i) offer more than 1 payment sched-
ule for payments to eligible child care pro-
viders under subparagraph (A); and 
‘‘(ii) pay each provider in accordance 
with the schedule chosen by the provider. 
‘‘(5) ADMINISTRATION.—A lead agency to 
which a grant is made under this subsection may 
comply with this subsection through the use of tech-
nology platforms that connect employers, child care 
providers, parents, and the lead agency, and may 
allow a third party to administer the grant. 
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‘‘(6) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary may pre-
scribe such regulations as the Secretary deems nec-
essary and appropriate to carry out this subsection. 
‘‘(7) NO EFFECT ON CCDBG BENEFITS.—Eligi-
bility for, and the amount of benefits received under, 
the program under this subsection shall not affect 
eligibility for, or the amount of benefits provided 
pursuant to, the Child Care and Development Block 
Grant Act of 1990. 
‘‘(8) TERMINATION.—The program under this 
subsection shall terminate at the end of the program 
period. 
‘‘(9) EVALUATION; REPORT.— 
‘‘(A) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall 
conduct an evaluation, developed by the Office 
of Planning, Research, and Evaluation of the 
Administration for Children and Families, of— 
‘‘(i) the cost-effectiveness of the pro-
gram; and 
‘‘(ii) the effects of the program on— 
‘‘(I) hiring, employment, and em-
ployee retention; and 
‘‘(II) affordability of, and access 
to, child care; 
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‘‘(B) REPORT
TO
CONGRESS.—Within 1 
year after the end of the program period, the 
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
Ways and Means of the House of Representa-
tives a written report that contains the results 
of— 
‘‘(i) the evaluation conducted under 
subparagraph (A); 
‘‘(ii) a description of the outcomes for 
the children involved in the program under 
this subsection; and 
‘‘(iii) a description of the metrics used 
in the evaluation. 
‘‘(10) APPROPRIATION.—Out of any money in 
the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there are 
appropriated 
to 
carry 
out 
this 
subsection 
$250,000,000 for each fiscal year ending in the pro-
gram period, of which 5 percent shall be expended 
for the evaluation provided for in paragraph (8)(A) 
and 5 percent shall be expended to provide technical 
assistance to lead agencies in carrying out their 
functions under this subsection. 
‘‘(11) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE CHILD.—The term ‘eligible 
child’ means an individual— 
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‘‘(i) who has not attained the min-
imum age at which a child is required to 
enter kindergarten or elementary school 
under the law of the State in which the in-
dividual resides; 
‘‘(ii) who has a parent employed by a 
participating employer; 
‘‘(iii) with respect to the State in 
which the parent is employed, whose family 
income is not less than the State threshold 
for child care assistance and not more than 
300 percent of the State threshold for 
child care assistance; and 
‘‘(iv) who is not being provided child 
care services for which financial assistance 
is provided pursuant to the Child Care and 
Development Block Grant Act of 1990. 
‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE CHILD CARE COSTS.—The 
term ‘eligible child care costs’ means the costs 
of providing child care services to an eligible 
child in accordance with all applicable State 
and local health and safety requirements as de-
scribed in section 658E(c)(2)(I) of the Child 
Care and Development Block Grant Act of 
1990. 
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‘‘(C) ELIGIBLE CHILD CARE PROVIDER.— 
The term ‘eligible child care provider’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 658P(6) of 
the Child Care and Development Block Grant 
Act of 1990. 
‘‘(D) LEAD
AGENCY.—The term ‘lead 
agency’ means, with respect to a State, the 
agency designated or established by the State 
under section 658D(a) of the Child Care and 
Development Block Grant Act of 1990. 
‘‘(E) PARENT.—The term ‘parent’, with 
respect to a child, includes a legal guardian, rel-
ative guardian, or foster parent of the child. 
‘‘(F) 
PARTICIPATING
EMPLOYER.—The 
term ‘participating employer’ means a person 
whose application to participate in the program 
under this subsection is approved under para-
graph (2). 
‘‘(G) PROGRAM PERIOD.—The term ‘pro-
gram period’ means the 3-year period that be-
gins with the effective date of this subsection. 
‘‘(H) STATE THRESHOLD FOR CHILD CARE 
ASSISTANCE.—The term ‘State threshold for 
child care assistance’ means, with respect to the 
lead agency of a State, the maximum income 
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limit for assistance funded pursuant to the 
Child Care and Development Block Grant Act 
of 1990 provided by the lead agency.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 418 of 
such Act (42 U.S.C. 618) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(3), by striking ‘‘section’’ 
and inserting ‘‘subsection’’; and 
(2) in each of subsections (b)(1), (b)(2), and 
(c), by striking ‘‘this section’’ and inserting ‘‘sub-
section (a)’’. 
(c) TRANSMISSION TO CONGRESS OF INFORMATION 
ON FEASIBILITY OF IMPOSING CHILD CARE COST-SHAR-
ING OBLIGATIONS OF FAMILIES ON A SLIDING SCALE.— 
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting 
through the Administration for Children and Families, 
shall collect and transmit to the Committees on Appro-
priations and on Ways and Means of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committees on Appropriations and 
on Finance of the Senate information about the feasibility 
of imposing the child care cost-sharing obligations of fami-
lies under section 418(e) of the Social Security Act on a 
sliding scale. 
(d) TRANSFER OF UNOBLIGATED FUNDS TO THE 
PRESCHOOL
DEVELOPMENT
GRANTS
PROGRAM.—The 
unobligated balances of the amounts made available to 
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carry out section 418(e) of the Social Security Act as of 
September 30 of each fiscal year shall be transferred to 
and merged with amounts made available on or after Octo-
ber 1 for the preschool development grants program under 
section 9212 of the Every Student Succeeds Act (42 
U.S.C. 9831 note) for the following fiscal year. 
(e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall take effect on the 1st day of the 1st Fed-
eral fiscal quarter that begins after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act. 
Æ 
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