[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 886 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 886
To provide funds through the Social Services Block Grant program for
diaper assistance.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 5, 2021
Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Mr. Rush, Mr. Carson, Ms. Meng, Mr.
Sires, and Mrs. Hayes) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide funds through the Social Services Block Grant program for
diaper assistance.
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 ``COVID-19 Diaper Assistance Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Infants need between 6 to 12 diapers a day. Infants and
toddlers lacking access to clean diapers have a greater risk
for health complications, which require costly and difficult to
access medical care.
(2) Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, surveys indicated that
1 in 3 families in the United States with young children could
not afford an adequate supply of diapers to keep their child
clean, dry, and healthy.
(3) Low-income families pay an even higher than average
price for diapers because they do not have access to money
saving alternatives such as bulk buying or online shopping that
can reduce costs. Low-income families spend about 14 percent of
their income on diapers.
(4) Clean diaper access presents a financial and stressful
burden on families' dependent on child care services. Research
indicates that when diaper need is a barrier to child care,
parents miss an average of 4 workdays a month.
(5) The COVID-19 pandemic has further raised demand for
diapers and strained diaper banks' ability to meet low-income
families' needs. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, nonprofit
diaper bank distribution only met 5 to 6 percent of diaper
need. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, diaper banks
around the country have experienced double, triple, or greater
increase in demand for diapers due to the pandemic and economic
shutdown. Nonprofits alone cannot fully address this public
health crisis that impacts 1 in 3 families in the United
States.
SEC. 3. TARGETED FUNDING FOR STATES FOR DIAPER ASSISTANCE THROUGH THE
SOCIAL SERVICES BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Increase in Funding for Social Services Block Grant Program.--
(1) In general.--The amount specified in subsection (c) of
section 2003 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397b) for
purposes of subsections (a) and (b) of such section is deemed
to be $1,900,000,000 for fiscal year 2021, of which
$200,000,000 shall be obligated by States in accordance with
subsection (b).
(2) Appropriation.--Out of any money in the Treasury of the
United States not otherwise appropriated, there are
appropriated $200,000,000, which shall be available for
payments under section 2002 of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1397a), which shall remain available for expenditure
through December 31, 2022.
(3) Deadline for distribution of funds.--Within 45 days
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
Health and Human Services shall distribute the funds made
available by this subsection, which shall be made available to
States on an emergency basis for immediate obligation and
expenditure.
(4) Submission of revised pre-expenditure report.--Within
90 days after a State receives funds made available by this
subsection, the State shall submit to the Secretary of Health
and Human Services a revised pre-expenditure report pursuant to
subtitle A of title XX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1397 et seq,.) that describes how the State plans to administer
the funds in accordance with subsection (b).
(5) Deadline for obligation of funds by states.--A State to
which funds made available by this subsection are distributed
shall obligate the funds not later than December 31, 2021.
(6) Deadline for expenditure of funds.--A grantee to which
a State provides funds made available by this subsection (or a
subgrantee of such a grantee) shall expend the funds not later
than December 31, 2022.
(b) Rules Governing Use of Additional Funds.--Funds are used in
accordance with this subsection if--
(1) the funds are used to provide through social service
agencies or other nonprofit organizations, 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) to families in need;
(2) the funds are used subject to the limitations in
section 2005 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397d);
(3) the funds are used to supplement, not supplant, State
general revenue funds provided for the purposes described in
paragraph (1); and
(4) the funds are not used for costs that are reimbursable
by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, under a contract
for insurance, or by self-insurance.
(c) Reports.--
(1) Grantees and subgrantees.--Not later than December 31,
2022, each grantee to which a State provides funds made
available by subsection (a) (or a subgrantee of such a grantee)
shall submit a report to the State on the use of the funds so
provided.
(2) SSBG annual report.--A State shall include in the
annual report required under section 2006 of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397e) covering fiscal year 2023,
information detailing how grantees and subgrantees used funds
made available under subsection (a) to distribute diapers and
diapering supplies to families in need.
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