Sec. 2. Infrastructure grants to improve child care safety
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Part A of title IV of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 418 the following: This section may be cited as the . Infrastructure Grants to Improve Child Care Safety Act The Secretary shall conduct an immediate needs assessment of the condition of child care facilities throughout the United States (with priority given to child care facilities that receive Federal funds), that— determines the extent to which the COVID–19 pandemic has created immediate infrastructure needs, including infrastructure-related health and safety needs, which must be addressed for child care facilities to operate in compliance with public health guidelines; considers the effects of the pandemic on a variety of child care centers, including home-based centers; and considers how the pandemic has impacted specific metrics, such as— capacity; investments in infrastructure changes; the types of infrastructure changes centers need to implement and their associated costs; the price of tuition; and any changes or anticipated changes in the number and demographic of children attending.
The immediate needs assessment should occur simultaneously with the first grant-making cycle under subsection (c). Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress a report containing the result of the needs assessment conducted under subparagraph (A), and make the assessment publicly available. The Secretary shall conduct a long-term assessment of the condition of child care facilities throughout the United States (with priority given to child care facilities that receive Federal funds).
The assessment may be conducted through representative random sampling. Not later than 4 years after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress a report containing the results of the needs assessment conducted under subparagraph (A), and make the assessment publicly available. The Secretary may award grants to States for the purpose of acquiring, constructing, renovating, or improving child care facilities, including adapting, reconfiguring, or expanding facilities to respond to the COVID–19 pandemic.
The Secretary may not award a grant to a State under subparagraph
(A)unless the State involved agrees, with respect to the use of grant funds, to prioritize— child care facilities primarily serving low-income populations; child care facilities primarily serving children who have not attained the age of 5 years; child care facilities that closed during the COVID–19 pandemic and are unable to open without making modifications to the facility that would otherwise be required to ensure the health and safety of children and staff; and child care facilities that serve the children of parents classified as essential workers during the COVID–19 pandemic. A grant under this subsection shall be awarded for a period of not more than 5 years. To seek a grant under this subsection, a State shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, which information shall— be disaggregated as the Secretary may require; and include a plan to use a portion of the grant funds to report back to the Secretary on the impact of using the grant funds to improve child care facilities. In selecting States for grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall prioritize States that— plan to improve center-based and home-based child care programs, which may include a combination of child care and early Head Start or Head Start programs; aim to meet specific needs across urban, suburban, or rural areas as determined by the State; and show evidence of collaboration with— local government officials; other State agencies; nongovernmental organizations, such as— organizations within the philanthropic community; certified community development financial institutions as defined in section 103 of the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994 ( 12 U.S.C. 4702 ) that have been certified by the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund ( 12 U.S.C. 4703 ); and organizations that have demonstrated experience in— providing technical or financial assistance for the acquisition, construction, renovation, or improvement of child care facilities; providing technical, financial, or managerial assistance to child care providers; and securing private sources of capital financing for child care facilities or other low-income community development projects; and local community organizations, such as— child care providers; community care agencies; resource and referral agencies; and unions. In selecting States for grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall consider— whether the applicant— has or is developing a plan to address child care facility needs; and demonstrates the capacity to execute such a plan; and after the date the report required by subsection (b)(1)(C) is submitted to the Congress, the needs of the applicants based on the results of the assessment. In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give equal consideration to States with varying capacities under subparagraph (F). As a condition for the receipt of a grant under subparagraph (A), a State that is not an Indian tribe shall agree to make available (directly or through donations from public or private entities) contributions with respect to the cost of the activities to be carried out pursuant to subparagraph (A), which may be provided in cash or in kind, in an amount equal to 10 percent of the funds provided through the grant. Contributions required by clause
(i)may include— amounts provided by the Federal Government, or services assisted or subsidized to any significant extent by the Federal Government; or philanthropic or private-sector funds. Not later than 6 months after the last day of the grant period, a State receiving a grant under this paragraph shall submit a report to the Secretary as described in subparagraph (D)— to determine the effects of the grant in constructing, renovating, or improving child care facilities, including any changes in response to the COVID–19 pandemic and any effects on access to and quality of child care; and to provide such other information as the Secretary may require. The annual amount of a grant under this paragraph may not exceed $35,000,000. The Secretary may award grants to intermediary organizations, such as certified community development financial institutions, tribal organizations, or other organizations with demonstrated experience in child care facilities financing, for the purpose of providing technical assistance, capacity building, and financial products to develop or finance child care facilities. A grant under this paragraph may be made only to intermediary organizations that submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. In selecting intermediary organizations for grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall prioritize intermediary organizations that— demonstrate experience in child care facility financing or related community facility financing; demonstrate the capacity to assist States and local governments in developing child care facilities and programs; demonstrate the ability to leverage grant funding to support financing tools to build the capacity of child care providers, such as through credit enhancements; propose to meet a diversity of needs across States and across urban, suburban, and rural areas at varying types of center-based, home-based, and other child care settings, including early care programs located in freestanding buildings or in mixed-use properties; and propose to focus on child care facilities primarily serving low-income populations and children who have not attained the age of 5 years. The amount of a grant under this paragraph may not exceed $10,000,000. Not later than the end of fiscal year 2025, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress a report on the effects of the grants provided under this subsection, and make the report publically accessible. To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2021, which shall remain available through fiscal year 2025. The Secretary shall reserve 3 percent of the total amount made available to carry out this section, for payments to Indian tribes. The Secretary shall reserve 3 percent of the total amount made available to carry out this section, for payments to territories. Not less than 10 percent and not more than 15 percent of the total amount made available to carry out this section may be used to carry out subsection (c)(2). Not more than $5,000,000 of the amounts made available to carry out this section may be used to carry out subsection (b). In this section, the term State has the meaning provided in section 419, except that it includes the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and any Indian tribe. . Section 1108(a)(2) of such Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1308(a)(2) ) is amended by inserting 418A(c), after 413(f), .
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Sec. 2
Infrastructure grants to improve child care safety
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