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 experiencing a 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]
[S. 4383 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4383

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 30, 2020

   Ms. Ernst introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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'' after the 
                semicolon at the end;
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the 
                end 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'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ``or'' after 
                the semicolon at the end; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) increase the accessibility of affordable, 
                quality child care;''.
    (b) Regulations.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
        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, for purposes of section 201 of the Public 
        Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3141), a 
        project directly or indirectly increases the accessibility of 
        affordable, quality child care.
            (2) Considerations.--The criteria referred to in paragraph 
        (1) shall take into consideration the following:
                    (A) The availability, validity, and accessibility 
                of timely data.
                    (B) The extent to which a project contributes to 
                the financial security of a family.
                    (C) The extent to which a project address child 
                care needs in child care deserts or areas otherwise 
                recognized as experiencing a child care shortage.
            (3) Child care desert defined.--In this subsection, the 
        term ``child care desert'' means--
                    (A) an area--
                            (i) within a census tract; and
                            (ii) 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 applicable State; 
                        or
                    (B) a community that has a low supply of quality, 
                affordable child care, as determined by the applicable 
                State or Tribal entity.

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

    Section 203(b) of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 
1965 (42 U.S.C. 3143(b)) is amended by striking paragraph (4) and 
inserting the following:
            ``(4) formulating and implementing an economic development 
        program that includes systematic efforts--
                    ``(A) to reduce unemployment and increase incomes; 
                or
                    ``(B) to 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'' after the 
        semicolon at the end;
            (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 by 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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