Essential Skills and Child Care for Health Professions Act
Bill: H.R.4171 | Sponsor: Rep. Chu, Judy (D-CA)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Essential Skills and Child Care for Health Professions Act  This bill requires recipients of grants that provide low-income individuals with education and training for health care occupations to make foundational skills training (e.g., English language proficiency training) and affordable child care available to participants.

To remove barriers to health professions by providing resources to 
access foundational educational training, such as English as a foreign 
  language and adult basic education, and to require the provision of 
     child care, in demonstration projects funded under the health 
 profession opportunity grant program under section 2008 of the Social 
                             Security Act.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Essential Skills and Child Care for 
Health Professions Act''.

SEC. 2. PROVISION OF FOUNDATIONAL EDUCATIONAL TRAINING AND CHILD CARE.

    Section 2008 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397g) is 
amended by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections (d) and 
(e), respectively, and by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
    ``(c) Provision of Foundational Educational Training and Child 
Care.--
            ``(1) Required support.--A demonstration project for which 
        a grant is made under this section shall include the following:
                    ``(A) An assessment for adult basic skill 
                competency, and the use of innovative approaches to 
                adult basic skills education so that lower-skilled 
                eligible individuals can enroll in the project and go 
                on to enter and complete post-secondary training, 
                through means including the following:
                            ``(i) Establishing a network of partners 
                        that offer pre-training activities for project 
                        participants who need to improve basic academic 
                        skills or English language proficiency before 
                        entering a health occupational training career 
                        pathway program.
                            ``(ii) Offering resources to enable project 
                        participants to continue advancing adult basic 
                        skill proficiency while enrolled in a career 
                        pathway program.
                            ``(iii) Embedding adult basic skill 
                        maintenance as part of ongoing post-graduation 
                        career coaching and mentoring.
                    ``(B) A guarantee that child care is an available 
                and affordable support service for project participants 
                through means such as the following:
                            ``(i) Referral to, and assistance with, 
                        enrollment in a subsidized child care program.
                            ``(ii) Direct payment to a child care 
                        provider if a slot in a subsidized child care 
                        program is not available or reasonably 
                        accessible.
                            ``(iii) Payment of co-payments or 
                        associated fees for child care.
            ``(2) Allowed support.--The goods and services provided 
        under a demonstration project for which a grant is made under 
        this section may include assistance with accessing and 
        completing high school equivalency or adult basic education 
        courses as necessary to achieve success in the project and make 
        progress toward career goals.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall take effect on October 1, 
2021.
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