Title: To amend the Head Start Act to extend the duration of grants under such Act, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Education

Summary:
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants to Head Start agencies to provide children with access to full-school-year and full-school-day services, provide access to additional service hours for migrant and seasonal agencies, or enhance the quality of existing services.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8004 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8004

To amend the Head Start Act to extend the duration of grants under such 
                      Act, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 11, 2020

Ms. Fudge (for herself and Mr. Stivers) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Head Start Act to extend the duration of grants under such 
                      Act, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. EXTENDED DURATION.

    (a) In General.--The Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9801 et seq.) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 657C (42 U.S.C. 9852c) as 
        section 657D; and
            (2) by inserting after section 657B (42 U.S.C. 9852b) the 
        following:

``SEC. 657C. EXTENDED DURATION.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall make grants to Head Start 
(including Early Head Start) agencies funded under this subchapter to 
enable such agencies--
            ``(1) to provide access to a full school year and a full 
        school day of services;
            ``(2) in the case of a migrant and seasonal Head Start 
        agency, to provide access to additional service hours to ensure 
        continuous Head Start services as determined by the Secretary; 
        or
            ``(3) in the case of a Head Start agency (including an 
        Early Head Start agency) that already meets the full-day, full-
        year services needs within its community, to enhance the 
        quality of Head Start services (including Early Head Start 
        services) provided to children served by such agency.
    ``(b) Application.--
            ``(1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        this section, a Head Start agency shall submit an application 
        at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require. 
        Such application shall include--
                    ``(A) evidence of--
                            ``(i) the number and percentage of slots--
                                    ``(I) in the agency's Head Start 
                                center-based programs (that are not 
                                Early Head Start programs)--
                                            ``(aa) that are currently 
                                        funded (as of the date of 
                                        submission of the application); 
                                        and
                                            ``(bb) in which services 
                                        are provided for at least the 
                                        equivalent of 1,020 hours per 
                                        year; and
                                    ``(II) in the agency's Early Head 
                                Start center-based programs--
                                            ``(aa) that are currently 
                                        funded (as of that date); and
                                            ``(bb) in which services 
                                        are provided for at least the 
                                        equivalent of 1,380 hours per 
                                        year; and
                            ``(ii) the number and percentage of slots, 
                        in the agency's Head Start family child care 
                        programs--
                                    ``(I) that are currently funded (as 
                                of that date); and
                                    ``(II) in which services are 
                                provided for at least the equivalent of 
                                1,380 hours per year;
                    ``(B) a description of an approach, using the 
                current community-wide strategic planning and needs 
                assessment described in section 640(g)(1)(C) and 
                current program schedule (current as of the date of 
                submission of the application), that transitions all of 
                the agency's Head Start programs to a full school day, 
                full school year program schedule; and
                    ``(C) a budget justification that estimates the 
                supplemental funding necessary to provide for 
                incremental ongoing operating costs for the extended 
                hours of service under such a program schedule for the 
                current enrollment in the agency's Head Start programs.
            ``(2) Exceptions.--
                    ``(A) Migrant and seasonal head start.--
                            ``(i) In general.--A migrant and seasonal 
                        Head Start agency may apply for a grant 
                        described in subsection (a) without meeting the 
                        requirements specified in paragraph (1) to 
                        ensure continuous Head Start services are 
                        provided to children enrolled in a migrant and 
                        seasonal Head Start program. To be eligible to 
                        receive the grant, the agency shall submit an 
                        application at such time and in such manner as 
                        the Secretary may require.
                            ``(ii) Priority.--In making grants to 
                        applicants described in clause (i), the 
                        Secretary shall give priority to a migrant and 
                        seasonal Head Start agency operating for fewer 
                        than 8 months per year.
                    ``(B) Full-day, full-year head start agencies.--
                            ``(i) In general.--A Head Start agency 
                        (including an Early Head Start agency) that 
                        certifies to the Secretary that it is meeting 
                        the full-day, full-year need within its 
                        community may apply for a grant to enhance the 
                        quality of services provided to children 
                        enrolled in its Head Start program (including 
                        its Early Head Start program) in accordance 
                        with subsection (c)(2).
                            ``(ii) Application.--A Head Start 
                        (including Early Head Start) agency that meets 
                        the requirements of clause (i) shall submit an 
                        application, which shall include--
                                    ``(I) the proposed uses of funds in 
                                accordance with subsection (c)(2); and
                                    ``(II) how such uses of funds 
                                relate to the community-wide strategic 
                                planning and needs assessment described 
                                under section 640(g)(1)(c).
    ``(c) Use of Funds.--
            ``(1) Extended duration.--A Head Start agency that meets 
        the requirements of paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a) 
        receiving a grant under this section shall use the grant funds 
        to cover the costs associated with extending those hours of 
        service for the current enrollment, such as additional costs 
        for--
                    ``(A) ongoing purchases of classroom supplies;
                    ``(B) staff providing services during the extended 
                hours; and
                    ``(C) professional development to staff 
                transitioning to providing services during the extended 
                hours.
            ``(2) Enhancing program quality.--A Head Start (including 
        Early Head Start) agency that meets the requirements of 
        subsection (a)(3) shall use funds for the activities authorized 
        under section 640(a)(5)(B).
            ``(3) Exception.--The Head Start agency shall not use the 
        grant funds to expand the number of children served in the Head 
        Start programs (including Early Head Start programs) of the 
        agency.
    ``(d) Reservations.--
            ``(1) Activities.--From the total amount appropriated to 
        carry out this section, the Secretary shall for making grants 
        for the activities described in subsection (c)(1), reserve--
                    ``(A) $490,000,000 of the funds appropriated for 
                fiscal year 2020;
                    ``(B) $780,000,000 of the funds appropriated for 
                fiscal year 2021; and
                    ``(C) $1,070,000,000 of the funds appropriated for 
                fiscal year 2022.
            ``(2) Priority.--The Secretary shall prioritize Head Start 
        agencies (including Early Head Start agencies) that are 
        applying to use funds to carry out the activities described in 
        subsection (a)(1).
            ``(3) Migrant or seasonal head start programs.--From the 
        amount appropriated to carry out this section for a fiscal year 
        and reserved under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall reserve 
        4.5 percent for migrant or seasonal Head Start programs.
    ``(e) Report.--Not later than 60 days after the end of a fiscal 
year for which funding is appropriated under this subsection (f), the 
Secretary shall provide to the Committee on Education and Labor of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions of the Senate a report that includes--
            ``(1) a description of the extent to which funds 
        appropriated under such subsection--
                    ``(A) were used to expand access to full school 
                year and full school day services;
                    ``(B) were used to expand access to additional 
                service hours for migrant and seasonal Head Start 
                agencies; and
                    ``(C) were used to enhance the quality of Head 
                Start services at Head Start agencies that already met 
                full-day, full-year service needs within the community; 
                and
            ``(2) the number of Head Start agencies that provide full 
        school day and full school year services that, during such 
        fiscal year, had a waitlist of child applicants; and
            ``(3) the number of Head Start agencies that are seeking to 
        provide full school day and full school year services that, 
        during such fiscal year, had a waitlist of child applicants.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section--
            ``(1) $4,490,000,000 for fiscal year 2020;
            ``(2) $780,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; and
            ``(3) $1,070,000,000 for fiscal year 2022.
    ``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Full school day; full school year.--The terms `full 
        school day' and `full school year' mean such a day and year, 
        respectively, within the meaning of the Head Start Program 
        Performance standards issued under section 641A(a).
            ``(2) Migrant and seasonal head start agency.--The term 
        `migrant and seasonal Head Start agency' means an agency that 
        is funded under this subchapter to provide a migrant and 
        seasonal Head Start program.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 640 of the Head Start Act (42 
U.S.C. 9835) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(6), by striking ``appropriated under 
        this subchapter'' each place it appears and inserting 
        ``appropriated under section 639''; and
            (2) in subsection (g)(3)(A)--
                    (A) by striking ``amount appropriated'' each place 
                it appears and inserting ``amount appropriated under 
                section 639'';
                    (B) by striking ``services provided under this 
                subchapter'' and inserting ``services provided under 
                this subchapter (other than section 657C)''; and
                    (C) by striking ``agency under this subchapter'' 
                and inserting ``agency under this subchapter (other 
                than section 657C)''.
                                 <all>