Title: To provide emergency funding for home visiting programs during the pandemic, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Social Welfare

Summary:
This bill provides supplemental funding to the Department of Health and Human Services for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. This program supports voluntary home visits by social workers and other professionals for families with young children in at-risk communities.
The funds may be used to
An entity that receives these funds must maintain existing staffing and funding levels, coordinate as practicable with local diaper banks when providing emergency supplies, and meet other conditions.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 926 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 926

  To provide emergency funding for home visiting programs during the 
                   pandemic, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 8, 2021

Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois (for himself and Ms. Castor of Florida) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             Appropriations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide emergency funding for home visiting programs during the 
                   pandemic, 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. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE TO FAMILIES THROUGH HOME VISITING 
              PROGRAMS.

    (a) Supplemental Appropriation.--In addition to amounts otherwise 
appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not 
otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated to the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services $150,000,000, to remain available through 
September 30, 2022, to enable eligible entities to conduct programs in 
accordance with section 511 of the Social Security Act and subsection 
(c) of this section.
    (b) Eligibility for Funds.--To be eligible to receive funds made 
available by subsection (a), an entity shall--
            (1) as of the date of the enactment of this section, be 
        conducting a program under section 511 of the Social Security 
        Act;
            (2) ensure the modification of grants, contracts, and other 
        agreements, as applicable, executed under section 511 of such 
        Act under which the program is conducted as are necessary to 
        provide that, during the period that begins with the date of 
        the enactment of this section and ends with the end of the 2nd 
        succeeding fiscal year after the funds are awarded, the entity 
        shall--
                    (A) not reduce funding for, or staffing levels of, 
                the program on account of reduced enrollment in the 
                program; and
                    (B) when using funds to provide emergency supplies 
                to eligible families receiving grant services under 
                section 511 of such Act, ensure coordination with local 
                diaper banks to the extent practicable; and
            (3) reaffirm that, in conducting the program, the entity 
        will focus on priority populations (as defined in section 
        511(d)(4) of such Act).
    (c) Uses of Funds.--An entity to which funds are provided under 
this section may use the funds--
            (1) to serve families with home visits or with virtual 
        visits, that may be conducted by the use of electronic 
        information and telecommunications technologies, in a service 
        delivery model described in section 511(d)(3)(A) of the Social 
        Security Act;
            (2) to pay hazard pay or other additional staff costs 
        associated with providing home visits or administration for 
        programs funded under section 511 of such Act;
            (3) to train home visitors employed by the entity in 
        conducting a virtual home visit and in emergency preparedness 
        and response planning for families served, and may include 
        training on how to safely conduct intimate partner violence 
        screenings, and training on safety and planning for families 
        served to support the family outcome improvements listed in 
        section 511(d)(2)(B) of such Act;
            (4) for the acquisition by families served by programs 
        under section 511 of such Act of such technological means as 
        are needed to conduct and support a virtual home visit;
            (5) to provide emergency supplies (such as diapers and 
        diapering supplies including diaper wipes and diaper cream, 
        necessary to ensure that a child using a diaper is properly 
        cleaned and protected from diaper rash, formula, food, water, 
        hand soap and hand sanitizer) to an eligible family (as defined 
        in section 511(k)(2) of such Act);
            (6) to coordinate with and provide reimbursement for 
        supplies to diaper banks when using such entities to provide 
        emergency supplies specified in paragraph (5); and
            (7) to provide prepaid grocery cards to an eligible family 
        (as defined in section 511(k)(2) of the Social Security Act) 
        participating in the maternal, infant, and early childhood home 
        visiting program under section 511 of such Act for the purpose 
        of enabling the family to meet the emergency needs of the 
        family.
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