[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4675 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4675
To amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to
provide grants to States to establish positions to minimize
administrative burden on families seeking child care assistance.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 28, 2022
Ms. Hassan (for herself and Mr. Cornyn) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to
provide grants to States to establish positions to minimize
administrative burden on families seeking child care 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 ``Improving Early Childhood Data
Systems Act''.
SEC. 2. STATE ADMINISTRATIVE IMPROVEMENT.
Section 658L of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of
1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858j) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(c) State Administrative Improvement Activities.--
``(1) Grants.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall make grants
to covered lead agencies--
``(i) to establish, or expand and improve,
activities to obtain existing or future data
collected by--
``(I) the covered lead agency
involved or a contractor of the agency,
such as a child care resource and
referral agency; or
``(II) the agency administering a
related program referred to in
paragraph (4)(B), relating to the data
system for the program; and
``(ii) to use the data to inform and
improve administration of child care and
related programs, for the State, territory, or
Indian tribe involved.
``(B) Number of grants.--The Secretary may make
grants to not more than 10 covered lead agencies under
this subsection.
``(C) Duration and amounts.--The Secretary may make
the grants for periods of 5 years, in amounts of not
less than $50,000, and not more than $500,000, for each
year in the grant period involved.
``(2) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
this subsection, a covered lead agency shall submit an
application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary may require,
including--
``(A) how the grant funds will be used to improve
data usage and processing;
``(B) how the grant funds will improve utilization
of child care assistance, by minimizing the
administrative burden on families seeking child care
assistance under this subchapter; and
``(C) if the covered lead agency intends to work
with other entities to carry out the activities
described in this subsection, how the covered lead
agency intends to work with such entities.
``(3) Priority.--In determining which covered lead agencies
receive grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall give
priority to the 1 covered lead agency that demonstrates, in the
agency's application submitted under paragraph (2), the most
need for activities that are described in paragraph (4)(B) and
are determined by the Secretary, in the discretion of the
Secretary, to be appropriate.
``(4) Use of funds.--
``(A) In general.--A covered lead agency that
receives a grant under this section shall use the grant
funds to analyze the existing or future data described
in paragraph (1)(A)(i) to determine how the State,
territory, or Indian tribe will improve, and to use the
data to improve, one or more of the following:
``(i) Minimizing the administrative burden
on families seeking child care assistance under
this subchapter.
``(ii) Reducing barriers to access to the
child care assistance.
``(iii) Improving equity and reducing
disparities in distribution of that assistance.
``(iv) Improving related customer services.
``(v) Decreasing processing time in
providing those services.
``(vi) Reducing temporary loss of child
care assistance by families of eligible
children, particularly during renewal periods.
``(B) Data systems.--The covered lead agency shall
use the grant funds--
``(i) to integrate, or make interoperable,
data systems used to administer the child care
program (operated by the covered lead agency or
a contractor of the agency) with related public
assistance programs; and
``(ii) to provide for a system upgrade for
the data system of the child care program,
including by purchasing new computers and
equipment.
``(5) Reports.--A covered lead agency that receives a grant
under this subsection shall, not later than the last day of the
grant period, prepare and submit to the Secretary a report that
describes how the grant funds have enabled the State,
territory, or Indian tribe involved to use data and data
systems more effectively and to carry out an activity described
in paragraph (4)(A).
``(6) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Covered lead agency.--The term `covered lead
agency' means--
``(i) with respect to a State, the State's
lead agency; and
``(ii) with respect to a territory or an
Indian tribe, the analogous agency for the
territory or tribe.
``(B) Territory.--The term `territory' means a
jurisdiction referred to in section 658O(a)(1).''.
SEC. 3. TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.
(a) Administrative Costs.--Section 658E(c)(3)(C) of the Child Care
and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858c(c)(3)(C)) is
amended, in the second sentence, by inserting ``or carrying out
activities under section 658L(c)'' before the period at the end.
(b) Appropriations.--Section 658O(a) of the Child Care and
Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858m(a)) is amended--
(1) in paragraphs (1), (3), and (4), by striking ``this
subchapter'' and inserting ``section 658B''; and
(2) in paragraph (5), by striking ``this subchapter'' the
first place it appears and inserting ``section 658B''.
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