,,ii #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dhhj ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #ca1 #bjbd,mr4 ,kaine 7for himself and ,mrs4 ,britt7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to implement or strengthen programs that increase the supply of quality child care services by enhancing the wages of child care workers1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,child ,care ,workforce ,act4 #b4 ,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to establish a pilot program to increase the supply of quality child care services by providing funding to ,states1 ,indian ,tribes1 and ,tribal organizations to implement or strengthen programs to supplement the wages of eligible child care workers1 in order to-- 7#a7 attract and retain eligible child care workers2 7#b7 improve eligible child care worker well-being2 7#c7 improve the quality of child care services2 and 7#d7 increase the availability of affordable child care services4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,child care worker ,the term child care worker means any individual whose primary and daily focus of work is-- 7,a7 providing child care services1 including direct care and education services1 to children for a family child care provider or other child care provider1 or a provider of early childhood education1 that is in compliance with any licensing or registration standards1 or regulations1 of the ,state1 ,indian ,tribe1 or ,tribal organization involved2 and 7,b7 providing the child care services in a center-based or home-based setting4 7#b7 ,indian ,tribe ,the term ,indian ,tribe has the meaning given the term in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd74 7#c7 ,state ,the term ,state means any of the several ,states1 the ,district of ,columbia1 the ,virgin ,islands of the ,united ,states1 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico1 ,guam1 ,american ,samoa1 and the ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands4 7#d7 ,tribal organization ,the term ,tribal organization has the meaning given the term tribal organization in section #feh,p of the ,child ,care and ,development ,block ,grant ,act of #aiij 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ihehn74 #d4 ,pilot program 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services 7referred to in this ,act as the ,secretary7 shall establish a pilot program to award competitive grants to ,states1 ,indian ,tribes1 and ,tribal organizations to supplement the wages of eligible child care workers4 7b7 ,considerations ,in selecting ,states1 ,indian ,tribes1 and ,tribal organizations to receive grants under this section1 the ,secretary shall consider-- 7#a7 the number of children under the age of #e residing in the ,state or on the ,tribal land of the ,indian ,tribe or ,tribal organization2 7#b7 the number of child care workers working in licensed1 regulated1 or registered programs in the ,state or on the ,tribal land2 7#c7 the average wage of child care workers working in the ,state or on the ,tribal land2 7#d7 the percentage of families in the ,state or on the ,tribal land who are eligible for child care subsidies under the ,child ,care and ,development ,block ,grant ,act of #aiij 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #iheg et seq47 but do not receive the subsidies2 and 7#e7 the need for additional child care workers in the ,state or on the ,tribal land4 7c7 ,eligibility ,to be eligible for a grant under this section1 a ,state1 ,indian ,tribe1 or ,tribal organization shall submit an application to the ,secretary at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require1 including-- 7#a7 information showing a significant need for increased numbers of child care workers and increased wages among child care workers2 7#b7 a commitment to using the grant funds to supplement the wages of low-wage eligible child care workers2 7#c7 a plan for using the grant funds to supplement the wages of eligible child care workers1 including-- 7,a7 the criteria that will be used to determine which child care workers are eligible to receive the wage supplements2 7,b7 a description of how funds will be prioritized for areas with greatest need1 including areas with overall staffing challenges1 underserved geographic areas1 areas with shortages of programs that serve low-income children and families1 and areas with shortages of programs that serve infants and toddlers1 that serve children with disabilities1 or that offer child care services during nontraditional hours2 and 7,c7 a description of how the wage supplements will be provided to eligible child care workers 7directly1 through the employer1 or through a trusted intermediary7 and how the supplements will be provided in a timely manner2 7#d7 a plan to engage in a public awareness campaign directed at eligible child care workers2 7#e7 a description of the measures that will be used to assess the impact of the wage supplement pilot program on attraction and retention of eligible child care workers1 eligible child care worker well-being1 child care services quality1 and availability of affordable child care services1 provided by eligible child care workers2 7#f7 a description of how the pilot program will contribute to the ,state's or ,tribe's overall plan for increasing eligible child care worker compensation2 7#g7 a description of the plan for addressing and minimizing any destabilization that may occur after the grant funds are expended2 and 7#h7 such other information as the ,secretary may require4 #e4 ,use of funds 7a7 ,in general ,except as provided in subsection 7c71 a ,state1 ,indian ,tribe1 or ,tribal organization that receives a grant under section #d shall use the grant funds solely to supplement the wages of eligible child care workers4 7b7 ,requirements ,in carrying out subsection 7a71 a ,state1 ,indian ,tribe1 or ,tribal organization shall-- 7#a7 disburse the wage supplements to eligible child care workers not less frequently than quarterly2 7#b7 target grant funding based on the areas described in section #d7;c77#c77;,b72 7#c7 provide to eligible child care workers education on any effect the wage supplements may have on taxes or public benefit eligibility2 and 7#d7 inform eligible child care workers that acceptance1 of the wage supplements1 is voluntary4 7c7 ,administrative costs ,the ,state1 ,indian ,tribe1 or ,tribal organization may use not more than #aj percent of the grant funds to pay for administrative costs associated with the administration of payments to eligible child care workers1 financial counseling for eligible child care workers1 including as described in subsection 7b77#c71 and public awareness campaigns to make child care workers aware of the availability of such payments4 #f4 ,evaluation ,the ,secretary shall conduct an evaluation of the pilot program to assess its effectiveness in-- 7#a7 attracting and retaining eligible child care workers2 7#b7 improving eligible child care worker well-being and the quality of child care services2 and 7#c7 increasing the availability of affordable child care services4 #g4 ,report ,not later than #b years after the date on which the pilot program is implemented1 the ,secretary shall submit a report to ,congress containing the results of the evaluation4 #h4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this ,act such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year #bjbe and each subsequent fiscal year4 #i4 ,effective date ,this ,act shall take effect #ge days after the date of enactment of this ,act4