Child Care Issues in the 107th Congress (CRS Report for Congress)
Premium Purchase PDF for $24.95 (24 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 |
Revised March 10, 2003 |
| Report Number |
RL30944 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Melinda Gish, Domestic Social Policy Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
-
Premium Revised Oct. 29, 2002 (25 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised Sept. 9, 2002 (24 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium July 2, 2002 (21 pages, $24.95)
add
|
Summary:
Many bills relating to child care have been introduced since 1996, but most have failed to be
enacted
into law. The notable exceptions were appropriations acts that included increases in discretionary
funding for child care and some related programs. In 2001, the Bush Administration introduced new
proposals and initiatives as part of the FY2002 budget, and the FY2002 appropriations process
addressed the issue of funding levels for some of those proposals.
The FY2002 appropriations act for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services
(HHS) and Education (Ed) ( P.L. 107-116 ) included $2.1 billion in discretionary funding for the
CCDBG ($100 million less than President Bush's FY2002 budget request) and did not include the
Administration's proposed $400 million set-aside for a new after-school certificate program within
the CCDBG.
In its FY2003 budget request, the Administration proposed to maintain level funding for the
CCDF, while increasing Head Start funding and eliminating the Early Learning Fund. At the close
of the 107th Congress, a Labor/HHS/Ed appropriations bill had not been passed. Instead, funding
was provided temporarily (at FY2002 levels) through a series of continuing resolutions.
The CCDBG provides child care subsidies to low-income families with children under age 13.
It is the primary source of federal child care assistance for low-income families, and is funded
through both mandatory and discretionary funds, referred to in total as the Child Care and
Development Fund (CCDF). Authorization for both funding streams was due to expire at the end
of FY2002. Reauthorization bills pertaining to welfare legislation (which includes mandatory child
care funding) and the CCDBG Act (which authorizes discretionary funding and sets program rules)
were introduced, and in the House, a consolidated bill was passed ( H.R. 4737 ).
However, in the Senate, neither a welfare nor child care reauthorization bill made it further than
committee approval during the 107th Congress. As a result, child care funding (and welfare funding)
was extended temporarily via continuing resolutions, leaving reauthorization legislation on the
agenda for the incoming 108th Congress.
With respect to other child care-related grants or tax provisions, earlier proposed bills and
initiatives reflected attempts to approach the overarching issues of child care availability,
affordability, and quality with changes to the block grant and/or tax code. Although most of those
earlier bills and initiatives failed to reach law, several similar bills were introduced in the 107th
Congress, including an omnibus tax bill, which was signed into law, and contained changes to the
Dependent Care Tax Credit.
Child care has become an area of increased focus during reauthorization debates, and the
overall
issue of early childhood development has received increased attention, with Congressional hearings,
as well as a White House Summit on Early Childhood Cognitive Development. The Administration
has built upon the summit, with the President announcing the Administration's new "Good Start,
Grow Smart" early childhood initiative.
