[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4130 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4130
To require the establishment of a pilot program to expand early child
care options for members of the Armed Forces and their families.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 16, 2024
Mrs. Shaheen (for herself and Ms. Ernst) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the establishment of a pilot program to expand early child
care options for members of the Armed Forces and their families.
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 ``Expanding Access to Child Care for
Military Families Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM TO EXPAND EARLY CHILD CARE OPTIONS FOR MEMBERS OF
THE ARMED FORCES AND THEIR FAMILIES.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall direct the
Secretaries of the military departments to carry out a pilot program to
improve the access of members of the Armed Forces and their families to
high quality early child care opportunities by establishing
partnerships with eligible child care providers--
(1) to increase the capacity of those providers;
(2) to improve early child care workforce development; and
(3) to increase recruitment and retention of employees for
eligible child care providers.
(b) Selection of Eligible Child Care Providers and Networks of Such
Providers.--
(1) In general.--Under the pilot program required by
subsection (a), the Secretary shall direct the Secretaries of
the military departments to enter into a total of 12
partnerships with eligible child care providers, or networks of
such providers, to, in communities under the jurisdiction of
such secretaries--
(A) increase the number of early child care slots
available to members of the Armed Forces and their
families;
(B) facilitate recruitment and retention of
employees for eligible child care providers; and
(C) provide additional professional development
opportunities for such employees.
(2) Limitation.--The Secretary may direct the Secretaries
of the military departments to enter into not more than one
partnership with each eligible child care provider, or network
of such providers, under the pilot program required by
subsection (a).
(3) Locations.--In selecting eligible child care providers
or network of such providers with which to enter into
partnerships under the pilot program required by subsection
(a), the Secretary--
(A) shall direct the Secretaries of the military
departments--
(i) to ensure that--
(I) each partnership is based at a
different military installation; and
(II) at least one partnership is
based at--
(aa) a Navy installation
that is not a Marine Corps
installation;
(bb) a Marine Corps
installation;
(cc) an Army installation;
(dd) an Air Force
installation that is not a
Space Force installation;
(ee) a Space Force
installation; and
(ff) a joint military
installation; and
(ii) to consider--
(I) geographic diversity and
population demographics to reflect the
inclusion of multiple communities
across the United States;
(II) the appropriate
qualifications, consistent with
Department of Defense regulations and
training requirements and under
applicable State and local laws, to
provide services to meet the needs of
eligible children; and
(III) existing resources available
to the eligible child care providers or
networks of such providers to train and
support employees for eligible child
care providers; and
(B) may authorize the Secretaries of the military
departments to establish partnerships in communities
near military installations with military child
development centers or other existing early childcare
programs of the Department of Defense, including the
Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood program.
(c) Authorized Functions.--In carrying out the pilot program
required by subsection (a), the Secretary may--
(1) direct the Secretaries of the military departments--
(A) to identify gaps between existing early child
care needs and available eligible child care providers
in communities where such Secretaries are considering
establishing the pilot program;
(B) to use resources of the Department of Defense
to support eligible child care providers in recruitment
and retention of employees, including through
professional development and financial incentives for
such employees; and
(C) to seek to enter into an interagency
partnership with a Federal agency with the ability to
place national service participants and volunteers
trained in education services, including senior
volunteer programs, at military child development
centers, including such a center at an installation
selected for a partnership under subsection (b)(3), in
accordance with applicable national service laws and
with all the benefits accorded to such participants and
volunteers; and
(2) provide training and resource subsidies to eligible
child care providers and networks of such providers
participating in partnerships established under subsection (b).
(d) Assurance of Not Reducing Early Child Care Availability for
Nonmilitary Families.--
(1) In general.--As a condition of entering into a
partnership under subsection (a), an eligible child care
provider or network of such providers participating in a
partnership established under subsection (b) is required to
provide assurances that the provider or network will not--
(A) reduce early child care slots for nonmilitary
families after entering into the partnership; or
(B) enter into the construction of new child care
facilities.
(2) Assessments.--Not later than 180 days after the pilot
program commences under paragraph (1)(A) of subsection (h), and
every 180 days thereafter until the pilot program terminates
under that subsection, the Secretary shall--
(A) assess whether each eligible child care
provider or network of such providers with which the
Secretary of a military department entered into a
partnership under subsection (b)--
(i) is providing the assurances required by
paragraph (1); and
(ii) has not reduced early child care slots
for nonmilitary families; and
(B) if the Secretary determines that the provider
or network of providers is not providing such
assurances or has reduced such slots--
(i) notify the provider or network that the
provider or network has 90 days to restore the
slots; and
(ii) if the provider or network does not
restore the slots during that 90-day period,
terminate the partnership.
(e) Location of Pilot Program.--The Secretary shall direct the
Secretaries of the military departments to ensure that, pursuant to a
partnership entered into under the pilot program required by subsection
(a), the program is administered at or near the site of the eligible
child care provider or network of such providers with which the
Secretary entered into the partnership at or near a military
installation.
(f) Administration.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall direct the Secretaries of
the military departments to develop one centralized administrative
system to carry out the pilot program required by subsection (a), which
may include information on--
(1) available military child development centers at
military installations at which partnerships are established
under the pilot program;
(2) the number of early child care education slots
available or needed at such installations;
(3) the fees and costs associated for parents participating
in the pilot program; and
(4) other relevant administration and technical assistance
matters.
(g) Reporting Requirements.--
(1) Briefings by secretary of defense.--
(A) Initial briefing.--Not later than 180 days
after the pilot program required by subsection (a)
commences under subsection (h)(1)(A), the Secretary
shall direct the Secretaries of the military
departments to provide a briefing to the appropriate
committees of Congress on the implementation of the
pilot program, including--
(i) the demonstrated need for eligible
child care providers in the locations of the
pilot program, including--
(I) the number of such providers
present at the start of the pilot
program relative to the number of
eligible children requiring care; and
(II) data on children served
through the pilot program,
disaggregated by criteria such as--
(aa) the number of infants
and toddlers served;
(bb) providers offering
early child care during
nontraditional or extended
hours;
(cc) early child care in
rural communities; and
(dd) inclusive early child
care services for children with
disabilities;
(ii) the change in the number of eligible
child care providers as a result of the pilot
program;
(iii) the change in early child care
education capacity for members of the Armed
Forces and their families and an assessment of
unmet need for such education;
(iv) an assessment of the efficacy of the
pilot program; and
(v) an assessment of the impact of the
pilot program on early child care availability
in communities in which the pilot program is
operating, including the impact of the pilot
program on--
(I) eligible child care providers
operating before the commencement of
the pilot program; and
(II) the number of early child care
slots available to nonmilitary
families, compared to the number of
such slots available before the
commencement of the pilot program.
(B) Annual briefings on progress.--Not later than
one year after the pilot program required by subsection
(a) commences under subsection (h)(1)(A), and annually
thereafter until the termination of the pilot program
under subsection (h), the Secretary shall direct the
Secretaries of the military departments to provide a
briefing to the appropriate committees of Congress on
the progress of the pilot program.
(2) Final report by secretary of defense.--Not later than
120 days after the termination under subsection (h) of the
pilot program required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall
direct the Secretaries of the military departments to submit to
the appropriate committees of Congress a final report on the
pilot program.
(3) Reports by government accountability office.--
(A) Progress report.--Not later than 4 years after
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller
General of the United States shall submit to the
appropriate committees of Congress an interim report on
the progress of the pilot program required by
subsection (a).
(B) Final report.--Not later than 120 days after
the termination under subsection (h) of the pilot
program required by subsection (a), the Comptroller
General shall submit to the appropriate committees of
Congress a final report on the pilot program.
(h) Duration of Pilot Program.--
(1) In general.--The pilot program required by subsection
(a) shall--
(A) commence not later than January 1, 2026; and
(B) unless extended in accordance with paragraph
(2), terminate on December 31, 2030.
(2) Extension.--The Secretary may direct the Secretaries of
the military departments to extend the pilot program required
by subsection (a) to terminate not later than December 31,
2032, if the Secretary notifies the appropriate committees of
Congress not later than June 30, 2030, of the intention of the
Secretary to extend the pilot program, along with a description
of the benefits of extending the pilot program.
(i) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
and
(B) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Child care employee.--The term ``child care employee''
has the meaning given that term in section 1800 of title 10,
United States Code.
(3) Eligible child.--The term ``eligible child'' means--
(A) an infant or toddler;
(B) a three- or four-year-old; or
(C) a school-aged child.
(4) Eligible child care provider.--The term ``eligible
child care provider'' has the meaning given that term in
section 658P of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act
of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n).
(5) Military child development center.--The term ``military
child development center'' has the meaning given that term in
section 1800 of title 10, United States Code.
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