Child Care Issues in the 107th Congress

Publication Date: March 2003

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Social conditions

Type:

Abstract:

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.