Title: ACCESS Act
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Affordable Child Care for Economic Strategies and Success Act or the ACCESS Act
This bill authorizes the Department of Commerce to provide grants for public works and economic development projects that will directly or indirectly increase the accessibility of affordable, quality child care, including grants for planning, and training, research, and technical assistance related to such projects.
Commerce must issue regulations to establish criteria for whether a project directly or indirectly increases the accessibility of affordable, quality child care. Such criteria shall consider (1) the availability, validity, and accessibility of timely data, (2) the extent to which a project contributes to a family's financial security, and (3) the extent to which a project addresses child care needs in child care deserts or areas otherwise recognized as being in shortage. A child care desert is an area in which the number of children who are under age five is more than three times the number of slots provided by child care providers who are licensed or registered by the state involved, or a community that the state or tribal entity involved determines has a low supply of quality, affordable child care.
Commerce must also issue guidance on how to include the accessibility of affordable, quality child care in a comprehensive economic development strategy.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7683 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7683

To amend the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to make 
  projects that directly or indirectly increase the accessibility of 
  affordable, quality child care eligible for certain grants, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 20, 2020

Ms. Finkenauer (for herself and Mr. Hagedorn) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, 
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 concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to make 
  projects that directly or indirectly increase the accessibility of 
  affordable, quality child care eligible for certain grants, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Affordable Child Care for Economic 
Strategies and Success Act'' or the ``ACCESS Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR PUBLIC WORKS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) In General.--Section 201 of the Public Works and Economic 
Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3141) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1) by striking ``; and'' and 
                inserting a semicolon;
                    (B) in paragraph (2) by striking the period and 
                inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) planning, developing, or creating a project or 
        facility that will directly or indirectly increase the 
        accessibility of affordable, quality child care.''; and
            (2) in subsection (b)(1)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (B) by striking ``; or'' and 
                inserting a semicolon;
                    (B) in subparagraph (C) by striking the semicolon 
                and inserting ``; or''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) increase the accessibility of affordable, 
                quality child care;''.
    (b) Regulations.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall issue such 
regulations as are necessary to establish criteria for whether a 
project directly or indirectly increases the accessibility of 
affordable, quality child care. Such criteria shall consider:
            (1) The availability, validity, and accessibility of timely 
        data.
            (2) The extent to which a project contributes to a family's 
        financial security.
            (3) The extent to which a project address child care needs 
        in child care deserts or areas otherwise recognized as being in 
        shortage.
    (c) Child Care Desert Defined.--In this section, the term ``child 
care desert'' means--
            (1) an area--
                    (A) within a census tract; and
                    (B) in which the number of children who are under 
                age 5 (as determined using the most recent American 
                Community Survey 1-year Estimates, as published by the 
                Bureau of the Census) is more than 3 times the number 
                of slots provided by child care providers who are 
                licensed or registered by the State involved; or
            (2) a community that the State or tribal entity involved 
        determines has a low supply of quality, affordable child care.

SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR PLANNING AND GRANTS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.

    Section 203(b)(4) of the Public Works and Economic Development Act 
of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3143(b)(4)) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(4) formulating and implementing an economic development 
        program that includes systematic efforts to--
                    ``(A) reduce unemployment and increase incomes; or
                    ``(B) increase the accessibility of affordable, 
                quality child care.''.

SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR TRAINING, RESEARCH, AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

    Section 207(a)(2) of the Public Works and Economic Development Act 
of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3147(a)(2)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (H) by striking ``; and'';
            (2) by redesignating subparagraph (I) as subparagraph (J); 
        and
            (3) by inserting after subparagraph (H) the following:
                    ``(I) the planning, development, or creation of a 
                project or facility that will directly or indirectly 
                increase the accessibility of affordable, quality child 
                care; and''.

SEC. 5. COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES.

    (a) In General.--Section 302(a)(3)(A) of the Public Works and 
Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3162(a)(3)(A)) is amended 
by inserting ``(including by directly or indirectly increasing the 
accessibility of affordable, quality child care)'' after ``promotes 
economic development and opportunity''.
    (b) Guidance.--In carrying out the amendment made under subsection 
(a), the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, shall issue guidance on how to include the 
accessibility of affordable, quality child care in a comprehensive 
economic development strategy developed under section 302 of the Public 
Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3162).
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