,i  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #daii  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,june #bf1 #bjbe,mr4 
,reschenthaler 7for himself1 ,ms4       
,salazar1 and ,mr4 ,issa7 introduced the
 following bill2 which was referred to  
the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs  ,a 
,,bill  ,to clarify the ,department of  
,state's exclusive regulatory authority 
over the au pair cultural exchange      
program1 and for other purposes4  #a4   
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,modernize the ,au ,pair ,program   
,act of #bjbe4  #b4 ,findings ,congress 
finds the following3  7#a7 ,congress    
authorized in the ,mutual ,educational  
and ,cultural ,exchange ,act of #aifa1  
7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bdea et4 seq4 7known as 
the ,fulbright-,hays ,act77 the creation
 of international educational and       
cultural exchange programs pursued      
through private-public partnerships     
between the ,federal agency responsible 
for foreign affairs 7initially the      
,united ,states ,information ,agency or 

,,usia7 and designated sponsoring       
organizations4  7#b7 ,in #aihf1 the     
,,usia launched a pilot program referred
 to as the ,federal au pair exchange    
program1 whereby young foreign students 
would travel to the ,united ,states to  
live with and provide childcare to an   
,american family1 immerse themselves in 
,american culture1 and pursue academic  
credits at an accredited institution4   
7#c7 ,in #aiid1 ,congress amended the   
,eisenhower ,exchange ,fellowship ,act  
of #aiij 7,public ,law #ajc-dae1 #ajh   
,stat4 #dbii 7#aiid77 to clarify that   
the ,,usia should continue to administer
 the ,federal au pair program consistent
 with foreign affairs purposes of the   
,fulbright-,hays ,act4  7#d7 ,the ,,usia
 exercised its regulatory authority over
 the program to promulgate comprehensive
 regulations that set requirements for  
the educational component of the        
program1 specified the eligibility      
criteria for au pairs1 and crafted a    
nationally uniform weekly stipend       

formula for host families to provide to 
their au pairs that was based on an     
assumed number of weekly hours of       
childcare1 indexed on the ,federal      
minimum wage1 and reflected a #dj       
percent credit for the provided room and
 board4  7#e7 ,in #aiig1 ,congress      
authorized the ,federal au pair program 
on a permanent basis 7,public ,law      
#aje-dh1 #aaa ,stat4 #aafe 7#aiig774    
7#f7 ,in #aiii1 the ,,usia disbanded and
 ,congress transferred regulatory       
authority for the au pair program to the
 ,department of ,state4  7#g7 ,the au   
pair program is an important public     
diplomacy tool that furthers foreign    
policy objectives of the ,united        
,states4  7#h7 ,the au pair program     
provides a critical source of affordable
 childcare for tens of thousands of     
,american families at a time when the   
lack of access to such care costs the   
economy of the ,united ,states an       
estimated #abb1jjj1jjj1jjj annually in  
lost earnings1 productivity1 and        

revenue4  7#i7 ,studies have shown that 
over #aj percent of au pair host        
families are active duty military       
personnel1 and additionally the au pair 
program has become an essential source  
of childcare for families of first      
responders1 single parents1 and shift   
workers and others with non-traditional 
work schedules4  7#aj7 ,any and all     
,federal regulations pertaining to the  
au pair program must retain the national
 uniformity and affordability integral  
to allowing ,american working families  
to continue their participation in the  
program4  7#aa7 ,american families      
participating in the au pair program    
must have clarity and confidence in what
 laws and regulations are applicable to 
the program4  7#ab7 ,it is clear that1  
consistent with congressional intent1   
the au pair program must be exclusively 
regulated by ,federal law to            
successfully serve a foreign affairs    
purpose4  #c4 ,clarification of         
exclusive ,federal regulatory authority 

,a ,state or political subdivision of a 
,state may not enact or enforce a law1  
regulation1 or other provision having   
the force or effect of law related to   
the au pair program administered by the 
,department of ,state4  #d4 ,revised    
proposed rule on au pair program ,not   
later than #ij days after the date of   
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
of ,state shall submit to the ,director 
of the ,office of ,management and       
,budget a proposed rule that shall--    
7#a7 provide a uniform national         
modification to the stipend and the     
educational stipend provided by a host  
family to an au pair1 in a manner that  
does not make the program prohibitively 
expensive for and reflects the room1    
board1 and other programmatic costs     
borne by a host family2  7#b7 enhance   
flexibility in the au pair program1 to  
accommodate unique work and family      
scheduling needs of military families1  
first responders1 single parents1 shift 
workers1 and other host families with   

non-traditional work schedules2 and     
7#c7 promote the immersion of an au pair
 into the family life of their host     
family1 consistent with the cultural    
exchange purposes of the au pair        
program4