Title: Helping Health Care Workers Afford Child and Elder Care Act
Policy area: Families

Summary:
Helping Health Care Workers Afford Child and Elder Care Act  This bill provides funding for FY2020 for child and adult-dependent care services for essential workers. Essential workers include (1) health-sector employees, (2) emergency responders, (3) sanitation workers, (4) employees of businesses required to remain open during the public health emergency declared on January 31, 2020, and (5) other workers a state deems essential and who are unable to telework. Eligibility for such funding is not based on income.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3567 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3567

 To provide State funding to ensure that essential workers can access 
                              child care.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 22, 2020

  Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Hassan, Ms. Harris, Mr. 
  Reed, and Mr. Durbin) introduced the following bill; which was read 
             twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide State funding to ensure that essential workers can access 
                              child care.

    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 ``Helping Health Care Workers Afford 
Child and Elder Care Act''.

SEC. 2. STATE FUNDING TO ENSURE THAT ESSENTIAL WORKERS CAN ACCESS CHILD 
              CARE.

    (a) Increase in Funding.--
            (1) In general.--The amount specified in subsection (c) of 
        section 2003 of the Social Security Act for purposes of 
        subsections (a) and (b) of such section is deemed to be 
        $6,700,000,000 for fiscal year 2020, of which $5,000,000,000 
        shall be obligated by States during calendar year 2020 in 
        accordance with subsection (b) of this section.
            (2) Appropriation.--Out of any money in the Treasury of the 
        United States not otherwise appropriated, there are 
        appropriated $5,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2020 to carry out 
        this section.
    (b) Rules Governing Use of Additional Funds.--
            (1) In general.--Funds are used in accordance with this 
        subsection if--
                    (A) the funds are used for--
                            (i) child care services for a child of an 
                        essential worker; or
                            (ii) daytime care services or other adult 
                        protective services for an individual who--
                                    (I) is a dependent, or a member of 
                                the household of, an essential worker; 
                                and
                                    (II) requires the services;
                    (B) the funds are provided to reimburse an 
                essential worker for the cost of obtaining the services 
                (including child care services obtained on or after the 
                date the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
                declared a public health emergency pursuant to section 
                319 of the Public Health Service Act on January 31, 
                2020, entitled ``Determination that a Public Health 
                Emergency Exists Nationwide as the Result of the 2019 
                Novel Coronavirus''), to a provider of child care 
                services, or to establish a temporary child care 
                facility operated by a State or local government;
                    (C) eligibility for the funds or services, and the 
                amount of funds or services provided, is not 
                conditioned on a means test;
                    (D) the funds are used subject to the limitations 
                in section 2005 of the Social Security Act, except 
                that, for purposes of this subparagraph--
                            (i) paragraphs (3), (5), and (8) of section 
                        2005(a) of such Act shall not apply; and
                            (ii)(I) the limitation in section 
                        2005(a)(7) of such Act shall not apply with 
                        respect to any standard which the State 
                        involved determines would impede the ability of 
                        the State to provide emergency temporary care 
                        to a child, dependent, or household member 
                        referred to in subparagraph (A) of this 
                        paragraph; and
                            (II) if the State determines that such a 
                        standard would be so impeding, the State shall 
                        report the determination to the Secretary, 
                        separately from the annual report to the 
                        Secretary by the State;
                    (E) the funds are used to supplement, not supplant, 
                State general revenue funds for child care assistance; 
                and
                    (F) the funds are not used for child care costs 
                that are--
                            (i) covered by funds provided under the 
                        Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 
                        1990 or section 418 of the Social Security Act; 
                        or
                            (ii) reimbursable by the Federal Emergency 
                        Management Agency.
            (2) Essential worker defined.--In paragraph (1), the term 
        ``essential worker'' means--
                    (A) a health sector employee, including but not 
                limited to a licensed nurse, clinical nurse assistant, 
                medical nurse assistant, nurse practitioner, physician 
                assistant, physician, home health aide, laboratory 
                technician, or other licensed health care professionals 
                as determined appropriate by the Secretary of Health 
                and Human Services;
                    (B) an emergency response worker;
                    (C) a sanitation worker;
                    (D) a worker at a business which a State or local 
                government official has determined must remain open to 
                serve the public during the emergency referred to in 
                paragraph (1)(B); and
                    (E) any other worker who cannot telework, and whom 
                the State deems to be essential during the emergency 
                referred to in paragraph (1)(B).
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