No official summary available for this bill.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5581 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5581
To amend the Social Security Act to authorize grants for demonstration
projects to support mothers and families during pregnancy, childbirth,
and the postpartum period by increasing access to short-term child
care, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 20, 2023
Ms. McClellan (for herself and Ms. Mace) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Social Security Act to authorize grants for demonstration
projects to support mothers and families during pregnancy, childbirth,
and the postpartum period by increasing access to short-term child
care, and for other purposes.
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 ``Child Care Assistance for Maternal
Health Act''.
SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS FOR CHILD CARE TO IMPROVE MATERNAL
HEALTH.
Subtitle A of title XX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 2009 the following:
``SEC. 2009A. DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS FOR CHILD CARE TO IMPROVE MATERNAL
HEALTH.
``(a) In General.--
``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall carry out a
program of awarding grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible
entities to conduct demonstration projects designed to support
mothers and families during pregnancy, childbirth, and the
postpartum period by increasing access to short-term child care
(such as through crisis nurseries) in order to improve the
physical health, mental health, and wellness of the mother and
her family.
``(2) Advisory group.--The Secretary shall establish an
advisory group to advise the Secretary on carrying out the
program established under paragraph (1). The advisory group
shall be composed of the following members:
``(A) At least 1 representative of the
Administration for Children and Families.
``(B) At least 1 representative of the
Administration for Native Americans.
``(C) At least 1 representative of the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services.
``(D) At least 1 representative of the Health
Resources and Services Administration.
``(E) At least 1 representative of the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
``(F) Representatives of such other Federal
entities, as the Secretary determines appropriate.
``(b) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
this section, an entity shall be--
``(1) a State, a territory, or the District of Columbia;
``(2) an Indian Tribe or Tribal organization;
``(3) an Urban Indian organization;
``(4) a public health department;
``(5) a nonprofit community-based organization; or
``(6) a consortium of entities described in any of
paragraphs (1) through (5).
``(c) Priority for Awarding Grants.--In selecting grant recipients
under this section, the Secretary shall--
``(1) give priority to--
``(A) eligible entities that, in addition to the
activities proposed to be funded through the grant,
will provide families with assistance in attaining a
long-term child care option;
``(B) eligible entities proposing to serve an area
with high rates of maternal mortality and poverty; and
``(C) eligible entities proposing to serve a
maternity care health professional target area
identified under section 332(k) of the Public Health
Service Act; and
``(2) award at least 1 grant to an Indian Tribe, a Tribal
organization, or an Urban Indian organization.
``(d) Number.--
``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary
shall award at least 10 grants under this section.
``(2) Exception for insufficient appropriations.--The
Secretary may award fewer than 10 grants if the Secretary
determines that the amounts made available to carry out this
section are less than the total amounts authorized to be
appropriated by subsection (i).
``(e) Demonstration Project Requirements.--
``(1) Use of funds.--A grant awarded under this section may
be used--
``(A) to conduct a demonstration project described
in subsection (a);
``(B) to assess community needs in preparation for
such demonstration project; and
``(C) to fund outreach related to such
demonstration project.
``(2) Duration.--A demonstration project under this section
shall be for a period of not less than 3 years.
``(3) Reports by grantees.--
``(A) Interim and final reports.--A grantee under
this section shall agree to submit to the Secretary--
``(i) interim reports on the demonstration
project funded through the grant; and
``(ii) a final report on such demonstration
project.
``(B) Contents.--The interim and final reports of a
grantee under subparagraph (A) shall include
assessments of the effectiveness of the grantee's
demonstration project with respect to--
``(i) maternal and child health outcomes;
``(ii) child care quality; and
``(iii) such other metrics as may be
determined by the Secretary.
``(4) Priority for providing services.--In providing
services through a demonstration project under this section, a
grantee shall give priority to vulnerable populations, such
as--
``(A) low-income families;
``(B) families experiencing homelessness;
``(C) single-parent households;
``(D) families who have children with disabilities
or special health care needs; and
``(E) other vulnerable populations as may be
determined by the Secretary.
``(5) Subgrants and contracts.--
``(A) In general.--A grantee under this section may
coordinate with entities described in subparagraph (B)
in carrying out a demonstration project under this
section, including by awarding subgrants to, or
entering into contracts with, such entities.
``(B) Entities.--The entities described in this
subparagraph are the following:
``(i) State or local child care resource
and referral agencies.
``(ii) Prenatal, perinatal, pediatric,
family medicine, and other relevant health care
providers.
``(iii) Doula support services.
``(6) State and local requirements.--
``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B),
services provided through a demonstration project under
this section shall meet the applicable requirements of
State and local law in the jurisdiction in which such
services are provided, including any applicable
licensure and quality of care requirements.
``(B) Exception.--Child care may be provided
through a demonstration project under this section to
children younger than the minimum age allowed under
applicable State or local licensing requirements, so
long as the grantee providing such child care (either
directly or through a subgrant or contract under
paragraph (5)) coordinates with the applicable
jurisdiction to ensure appropriate quality of care
standards.
``(f) Evaluation.--The Secretary shall--
``(1) evaluate the demonstration projects funded under this
section; and
``(2) as part of such evaluation--
``(A) identify successful activities for improving
maternal health outcomes and health outcomes for the
birthed child and any other children in the family; and
``(B) formulate recommendations for reauthorizing
the program under this section.
``(g) Reports to Congress.--The Secretary shall submit reports to
the Congress on the program under this section, including--
``(1) interim reports; and
``(2) based on the evaluation under subsection (f), a final
report.
``(h) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) IHCIA terms.--The terms `Indian Tribe', `Tribal
organization', and `Urban Indian organization' have the
meanings given the terms `Indian tribe', `tribal organization',
and `Urban Indian organization', respectively, in section 4 of
the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.
``(2) Postpartum period.--The term `postpartum period'
means the first year after an individual has given birth.
``(3) Short-term child care.--The term `short-term child
care'--
``(A) means child care provided during pregnancy,
childbirth, or the postpartum period--
``(i) for a limited duration; and
``(ii) for the birthed child or any other
child in the family; and
``(B) includes respite child care.
``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--
``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), there is
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section
$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2026.
``(2) Evaluation.--Of the funds appropriated to carry out
this section under paragraph (1), not more than 5 percent may
be used to fund the evaluation under subsection (f).''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Work and Welfare.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line