Supporting Child Care Providers and Families Affected by Coronavirus Act

Bill: 116-s-3562
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Introduced: 2020-03-22
Policy area: Families
Subjects: Appropriations

Cardiovascular and respiratory health

Child care and development

Department of Health and Human Services

Education programs funding

Emergency medical services and trauma care

Executive agency funding and structure

Family services

Health programs administration and funding

Infectious and parasitic diseases

Mental health

Preschool education

Teaching, teachers, curricula
Latest action: action_date: 2020-03-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-03-22
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Supporting Child Care Providers and Families Affected by Coronavirus Act</b><br> <br> This bill provides FY2020 supplemental appropriations for states to provide child care services and administer Head Start programs.</p>

tv_txt: II 116th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 3562 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 22, 2020 Mr. Casey (for himself and Ms. Hassan ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations A BILL To provide supplemental appropriations for the Child Care and Development Block Grant program, and the Head Start and Early Head Start programs, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Supporting Child Care Providers and Families Affected by Coronavirus Act . 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Coronavirus The term coronavirus means coronavirus as defined in section 506 of the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 ( Public Law 116–123 ). (2) COVID–19 public health emergency The term COVID–19 national emergency means the national emergency declared by the President under the National Emergencies Act ( 50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) on March 13, 2020, with respect to coronavirus. (3) Eligible child care provider The term eligible child care provider has the meaning given the term in section 658P of the Child Care Development and Block Grant Act of 1990 ( 42 U.S.C. 9858n ). 3. Supplemental appropriation The following sums are hereby appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, and for other purposes, namely: Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families Payments to States for the child care and development block grant For an additional amount for Payments to States for the Child Care and Development Block Grant , $4,000,000,000, to carry out the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 by enabling States to carry out activities including— (1) providing direct assistance to eligible child care providers so that reimbursement can be adjusted to be based on the number of enrolled children, rather than the number of children in attendance, with such providers, due to the absence of children or closure of providers, related to the COVID–19 public health emergency; (2) continuing payments to eligible child care providers when there are closures related to the emergency; (3) providing payments to eligible child care providers so that the providers can provide tuition or copayment assistance for children whose families are temporarily unable to continue making tuition payments or copayments due to the emergency; (4) providing payments to eligible child care providers to cover the cost of substitute educators who are needed due to the emergency; (5) providing payments to eligible child care providers to provide additional training to staff or to purchase supplies and services needed to keep the facilities of the eligible child care providers safe, sanitary, and operational; and (6) ensuring the children of frontline workers, needed as a result of the emergency, have access to care. Children and families services programs For an additional amount for Children and Families Services Programs , $1,000,000,000 for carrying out the Head Start Act by assisting Head Start programs (including Early Head Start programs)— (1) to provide educators with additional training or to purchase supplies and services needed to keep the facilities of the programs safe, sanitary, and operational; (2) to provide mental health supports, needed due to the COVID–19 public health emergency, to children in the programs and their families; (3) to provide services to the children and families remotely or through alternative delivery methods, including through the provision of needed technology for programs and families, due to the emergency; (4) to continue payments for salaries of staff during closures, and to provide the staff with hazard pay when applicable, due to the emergency; (5) without displacing children eligible for a Head Start program (including an Early Head Start program), or disrupting services provided to the families of such children, at the discretion of the grantee involved, to provide care to children of frontline workers needed as a result of the emergency regardless of the eligibility of the children; and (6) to provide other services needed as a result of the emergency. 4. Emergency requirement The amounts appropriated under section 3 are designated by Congress as being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 ( 2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(A)(i) ).