Child Care Issues in the 106th Congress (CRS Report for Congress)
Premium Purchase PDF for $24.95 (29 pages)
add to cart or
subscribe for unlimited access
Pro Premium subscribers have free access to our full library of CRS reports.
Subscribe today, or
request a demo to learn more.
| Release Date |
Jan. 4, 2001 |
| Report Number |
RL30021 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Karen Spar, Education and Public Welfare Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
In President Clinton's 2000 State of the Union Address, he outlined several child care-related
initiatives, in the form of tax credit proposals; increased child care subsidies; and increased funding
for Head Start and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers programs. Details of those
proposals were included in the Clinton Administration's FY2001 budget proposal. This was the
third year in a row that the Clinton Administration proposed a major child care initiative. As was
the case in the 105th Congress, the 106th Congress introduced considerable child care-related
legislation, however, little action was taken on the dozens of bills introduced.
Child care policy debates typically focus on three elements: availability, affordability, and
quality of child care. All three of these elements would be addressed by the Administration's and
other proposals. In addition, a fourth element was raised during the 105th Congress and was
addressed again in some bills introduced in the 106th Congress: the extent to which child care policy
treats families with and without a stay-at-home parent equitably.
A primary reason for the current focus on child care is welfare reform legislation enacted in
1996, which has called attention to the child care needs of welfare recipients and low-income
families who are attempting to become and remain economically self-sufficient. In addition, for
families with tax liability, a tax credit is available to offset part of the costs of child care, but the
terms of this credit have not been updated since 1981. Regarding the quality of child care, recent
research on early brain development has heightened interest in the experiences of children in child
care settings, while the death of a Massachusetts infant in 1997 and subsequent murder conviction
of his caregiver focused national concern on the basic question of child care safety. Finally, after-
school child care also has become a focus in the current debate.
The federal government operates several programs related to child care, of which the largest
is the Child Care and Development Block Grant, a grant program that helps subsidize the child care
expenses of low-income and welfare families. The Clinton Administration advocated for new
spending for this block grant and the Dependent Care Tax Credit (DCTC). In 2000, the
Administration proposed to not only expand the DCTC, but to make the credit refundable as well.
Numerous child care bills were introduced in the 106th Congress but few received full floor
action. Like the Administration's initiative, some were omnibus packages of tax and grant
provisions. Proposals would have increased the supply of child care through tax incentives or grants
for employers, and through expanded federal grants to states. Some bills would have made child
care more affordable through the tax code, and some (including the Administration's latest initiative)
had provisions for families with an at-home parent. Legislation proposed to upgrade the quality of
child care primarily through voluntary incentives. Several would have provided incentives for use
of nationally accredited child care providers or credentialed caregivers.
