Expanding Head Start Eligibility Act of 2025

Bill: 119-hr-728
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-8]
Introduced: 2025-01-24
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Child health

Child safety and welfare

Family services

Food assistance and relief

Low- and moderate-income housing

Nutrition and diet

Poverty and welfare assistance

Preschool education
Latest action: action_date: 2025-01-24
text: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-01-24
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Expanding Head Start Eligibility Act of 2025</strong></p><p>This bill expands eligibility for Head Start programs to include the children of families eligible for specified public assistance programs.&nbsp;</p><p>Specifically, the bill expands Head Start eligibility to include the children of families that qualify for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), and federal housing assistance (commonly known as Section 8). The bill also provides statutory authority for the eligibility of families that qualify for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Families that qualify for state-funded food assistance programs with eligibility standards identical or substantially similar to the standards for SNAP must also be eligible for Head Start.&nbsp;</p>

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 728 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 24, 2025 Mr. Garamendi (for himself, Mr. Turner of Texas , Mr. Jackson of Illinois , Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick , Mr. Johnson of Georgia , Ms. Ansari , Mr. Thanedar , Ms. McClellan , Ms. Titus , Mr. Correa , Ms. Moore of Wisconsin , Mr. Quigley , Mr. Garcia of California , Mr. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas , Mr. García of Illinois , and Mrs. Hayes ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce A BILL To amend the Head Start Act to include TANF, SSI, SNAP, WIC, and federal housing assistance as eligible public assistance.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Expanding Head Start Eligibility Act of 2025 . 2. Definition Section 637 of the Head Start Act ( 42 U.S.C. 9832 ) is amended— (1) by redesignating paragraphs (25) and (26) as paragraphs (26) and (27), respectively, and (2) by inserting after paragraph (24) the following: (25) The term public assistance , as defined by the Secretary, shall include— (A) assistance received under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 601 et seq. ); (B) benefits received under title XVI of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1381 et seq. ); (C) supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits received under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq. ); (D) the nutrition assistance program (NAP) under section 19 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2018 ) and the food distribution program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) under section 4(a) of the Consumer Protection Act of 1973 ( 7 U.S.C. 612c note); (E) State-funded food assistance programs, with income eligibility standards identical or substantially identical to those of the supplemental nutrition assistance program under of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq. ); (F) assistance received under section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1786 et seq. ); (G) assistance received under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 ( 42 U.S.C. 1437f et seq. ); and (H) additional benefits and assistance provided under Federal law as determined by the Secretary. .