,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dhif ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #bd1 #bjbf,ms4 ,klobuchar 7for herself and ,mrs4 ,shaheen7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act to establish the child care innovation nutrition pilot program1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,child ,care ,innovation ,advancement ,act of #bjbf4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds that-- 7#a7 families across the ,united ,states are struggling to access affordable1 quality child care due to a shortage of child care providers2 7#b7 local communities have responded to the child care shortage with innovative solutions that increase child care supply by reducing barriers to entry for potential providers1 including child care pods1 multi-unit child care facilities1 and employer-provided child care programs2 and 7#c7 while ,federal nutrition programs aid in providing nutritious foods to young children in child care settings1 many recent innovative child care solutions have found those programs difficult to access4 #c4 ,child care innovation nutrition pilot program ,the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #agea et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #cj4 ,child care innovation nutrition pilot program 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of the ,child ,care ,innovation ,advancement ,act of #bjbf1 the ,secretary shall carry out a pilot program1 to be known as the child care innovation nutrition pilot program 7referred to in this section as the pilot program71 under which an organized child care program operating in a site that is not a private home 7including a commercial space1 a community center1 a house of worship1 or a space provided by an employer7 may receive reimbursement for the purchase of nutritious food for meals provided to children under the care of the organized child care program4 7b7 ,eligibility ,to be eligible to receive reimbursement under the pilot program1 an organized child care program shall be-- 7#a7 operating under the auspices of a sponsoring organization2 and 7#b7 licensed or approved to operate by the ,state in which the organized child care program is located4 7c7 ,duration ,an organized child care program may receive reimbursement under the pilot program for not more than #c years4 7d7 ,reimbursement 7#a7 ,in general ,an organized child care program participating in the pilot program shall be reimbursed under the pilot program at the same rate at which a family or group day care home is reimbursed under a similar ,federal child care nutrition program4 7#b7 ,sponsoring organizations ,a sponsoring organization of an organized child care program participating in the pilot program shall be reimbursed under the pilot program in the same manner that a sponsoring organization of a family or group day care home is reimbursed under a similar ,federal child care nutrition program4 7e7 ,accountability 7#a7 ,in general ,activities carried out under the pilot program shall be subject to strict accountability requirements-- 7,a7 to ensure program integrity and protect taxpayer investments in child health2 and 7,b7 that include1 at a minimum1 the monitoring1 review1 and program integrity requirements of similar ,federal child care nutrition programs4 7#b7 ,audit requirement 7,a7 ,definition of unresolved audit finding ,in this paragraph1 the term unresolved audit finding1 with respect to an audit of the ,inspector ,general of the ,department of ,agriculture of the pilot program1 means a finding in a final audit report that an audited organized child care program has been reimbursed for an unauthorized expenditure or otherwise unallowable cost that is not closed or resolved by the date that is #a year after the date on which the final audit report is issued4 7,b7 ,audits 7i7 ,in general ,beginning with the first fiscal year beginning after the date of enactment of the ,child ,care ,innovation ,advancement ,act of #bjbf1 and in each fiscal year thereafter1 the ,inspector ,general of the ,department of ,agriculture shall conduct audits of organized child care programs under the pilot program to prevent waste1 fraud1 and abuse of funds by those organized child care programs4 7ii7 ,number of recipients audited ,the ,inspector ,general of the ,department of ,agriculture shall determine the appropriate number of organized child care programs to be audited each year under clause 7i74 7,c7 ,mandatory exclusion ,an organized child care program that is found to have an unresolved audit finding shall not be eligible to receive funds under the pilot program during the first #b fiscal years beginning after the end of the applicable #a-year period described in subparagraph 7,a74 7#c7 ,annual certification ,during the first fiscal year described in paragraph 7#b77;,b77i71 and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary shall submit to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,agriculture and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives a certification-- 7,a7 indicating whether-- 7i7 all audits conducted by the ,inspector ,general of the ,department of ,agriculture under paragraph 7#b77;,b7 have been completed and reviewed by the appropriate ,assistant ,secretary2 and 7ii7 all organized child care programs required to be excluded under paragraph 7#b77;,c7 have been so excluded2 and 7,b7 that includes a list of any organized child care programs excluded under paragraph 7#b77;,c7 from the preceding fiscal year4 7f7 ,preventing duplicative reimbursements 7#a7 ,in general ,prior to awarding a reimbursement to an organized child care program under the pilot program1 the ,secretary shall compare that intended reimbursement with any other reimbursement awarded by the ,secretary to the organized child care program under another program but for a similar purpose4 7#b7 ,report ,if the ,secretary awards to an organized child care program reimbursements under the pilot program and another program administered by the ,secretary for a similar purpose1 the ,secretary shall submit to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,agriculture of the ,house of ,representatives a report that includes-- 7,a7 a list of all such reimbursements awarded1 including the total dollar amount of those reimbursements2 and 7,b7 the justification for awarding multiple reimbursements for a similar purpose to the same organized child care program4 7g7 ,evaluation and report to ,congress 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the termination date of the pilot program under subsection 7h71 the ,secretary shall conduct1 and submit to ,congress the results of1 an evaluation of the pilot program1 which shall contain1 at a minimum-- 7,a7 the extent to which1 as a result of the pilot program-- 7i7 additional low-income children were provided nutritious meals2 and 7ii7 additional children received child care2 7,b7 a description of procedures necessary to ensure program integrity2 7,c7 a discussion of the outreach methods that were most effective2 and 7,d7 recommendations regarding permanent authority for family or group day cares to receive reimbursement for the purchase of nutritious foods for meals provided to children under their care4 7h7 ,termination of pilot program ,the pilot program shall terminate on the date that is #e years after the date of establishment of the pilot program4 7i7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this section4 4