H.R. 5363

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5363 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5363

To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out an initiative to 
develop, expand, and improve rural childcare, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 15, 2025

Ms. Perez (for herself, Mr. Mann, Ms. Underwood, and Mr. Baird) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out an initiative to 
develop, expand, and improve rural childcare, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Expanding Childcare in Rural America 
Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. EXPANDING CHILDCARE IN RURAL AMERICA INITIATIVE.

(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Childcare.--
(A) In general.--The term ``childcare'' means any 
program that--
(i) provides quality care and early 
education for young children who--
(I) are in kindergarten; or
(II) have not yet entered 
kindergarten; and
(ii) is operated by--
(I) an eligible childcare provider 
described in section 658P(6)(A) of the 
Child Care and Development Block Grant 
Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n(6)(A)); or
(II) a childcare provider that, on 
the date of enactment of this Act--
(aa) is licensed, 
regulated, or registered in the 
State, territory, or Indian 
Tribe in which the provider is 
located; and
(bb) meets applicable 
State, Tribal, territorial, and 
local health and safety 
requirements.
(B) Inclusions.--The term ``childcare'' includes--
(i) a school-based program described in 
subparagraph (A);
(ii) a facility used for a program 
described in subparagraph (A); and
(iii) a service provided under a program 
described in subparagraph (A).
(2) Initiative.--The term ``Initiative'' means the 
Expanding Childcare in Rural America Initiative established 
under subsection (b).
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
of Agriculture.
(b) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish an initiative, to 
be known as the ``Expanding Childcare in Rural America Initiative'', 
under which the Secretary shall provide, for each of fiscal years 2026 
through 2030, priority in accordance with subsection (c) to address the 
availability, quality, and cost of childcare in agricultural and rural 
communities.
(c) Childcare Priorities.--
(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, in selecting recipients of loans and grants under a 
program described in paragraph (2), the Secretary shall give 
priority to any qualified applicant that proposes to use the 
loan or grant to address the availability, quality, or cost of 
childcare in an agricultural or rural community.
(2) Description of programs.--The programs referred to in 
paragraph (1) are the following:
(A) The essential community facilities loan and 
grant programs authorized under section 306(a) of the 
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 
1926(a)).
(B) The technical assistance and training grant 
program authorized under section 306(a) of that Act (7 
U.S.C. 1926(a)).
(C) The rural business development grant program 
authorized under section 310B(c) of that Act (7 U.S.C. 
1932(c)).
(D) The business and industry direct and guaranteed 
loan program authorized under section 310B(g) of that 
Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(g)).
(E) The rural microentrepreneur assistance program 
authorized under section 379E of that Act (7 U.S.C. 
2008s).
(F) The rural innovation stronger economy (RISE) 
grant program authorized under section 379I of that Act 
(7 U.S.C. 2008w).
(d) Requirements.--In providing funding in accordance with the 
Initiative, the Secretary shall--
(1) give priority to communities in farming-dependent 
counties, as described in the 2015 county typology codes 
published by the Economic Research Service (as revised); and
(2) ensure a balanced geographical distribution of the 
benefits under the Initiative.
(e) Use of Intermediaries.--In providing funding in accordance with 
the Initiative, the Secretary may make awards through a childcare 
resource and referral organization, a staffed family child care 
network, a community development financial institution, a nonprofit 
organization, or a network of nonprofit organizations, with 
demonstrated expertise in--
(1) providing technical or financial assistance for the 
acquisition, construction, renovation, or improvement of 
childcare facilities;
(2) providing technical, financial, or managerial 
assistance to childcare providers; or
(3) securing private sources of capital financing for 
childcare or other low-income community development.
(f) Evaluation; Report.--
(1) Evaluation.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall conduct a 
comprehensive quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the 
projects carried out using assistance provided under the 
Initiative, including--
(A) a description of--
(i) the types of projects carried out;
(ii) the communities in which the projects 
are carried out;
(iii) the organizations and entities 
participating in the projects; and
(iv) the types of partnerships developed to 
carry out the projects; and
(B) the economic and social impacts of the 
investments in the projects.
(2) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate 
and the Committee on Agriculture of the House Representatives a 
report describing the evaluation conducted under paragraph (1), 
including a thorough analysis of the outcomes of the 
evaluation.
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