HR3207-118

3. Housing and child care provider co-location grant program The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall establish a program (hereafter in this section referred to as the Program) to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to facilitate the design, planning, construction, conversion, retrofitting, preservation, or renovation of a co-location facility. In developing the Program, the Secretary shall consult with— the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Assistant Secretary of the Administration for Children and Families; the Secretary of the Treasury, acting through the Director of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund; and the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Under Secretary for Rural Development. To be eligible to receive a grant under the Program, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary determines appropriate, including the following: A certification that the eligible child care provider associated with such application is eligible to receive vouchers or assistance under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9857 et seq.), or in the case of an application to construct a new facility, or an application when the eligible entity intends to subgrant or capitalize amounts provided, a commitment to— establish a partnership with an eligible child care provider not later than 1 year after the date on which funding is received; submit to the Secretary a certification of such eligibility of said provider to receive vouchers or assistance under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9857 et seq.); and clearly establish a project pipeline, and submission of a certification to the Secretary that a child care provider associated with a co-location facility project receives vouchers or assistance under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9857 et seq.) or the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.). A certification that activities funded by grant amounts will not result in the eviction of residents of the housing facility associated with such application. A description of a plan to inform and engage residents of the housing facility associated with such application about the proposed use of grant amounts. A certification of compliance with required Federal, State, and local environmental laws and State and local land use policies, unless the eligible entity— intends to use grant amounts to facilitate the planning or design required for permit approval; or demonstrates that the construction, preservation, conversion, retrofitting, or renovation of an existing facility does not require environmental review. A business plan for the eligible child care provider associated with such application, submitted at the time of application or not later than 1 year after the date on which the application is submitted, including— a budget or, in the case of a new eligible child care provider, a proposed budget; appropriate State and local licensing or, in the case of a new eligible child care provider, a copy of the application of such provider for appropriate State and local licensing; and copies of contracts between such provider and a local, county, regional, State, or Federal governmental entity, to facilitate— the business operations of such provider; or the enrollment of children from low-income families with such provider. In awarding grants under the Program, the Secretary shall give priority to each eligible entity that demonstrates that the eligible child care provider associated with the application of such entity will— operate in a child care desert, in a low-income community, or a rural area as determined by the Secretary; certify designation as a Head Start provider, Early Head Start Provider, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Provider, American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Provider, or enroll at least 10 percent of children from very-low income families; or demonstrate a partnership with a community development financial institution, including through the provision of financial or technical assistance. An eligible entity may be awarded not more than $10,000,000 under this Act. An eligible entity may only use grant amounts provided under the Program to facilitate the design, planning, construction, acquisition, preservation, conversion, retrofitting, long-term leasing, or renovation of a new or existing co-location facility. An eligible entity receiving a grant under this section may distribute grant amounts to a government entity, a nonprofit organization that develops housing, a public housing agency, a Tribally designated housing entity, or other appropriate entity as determined by the Secretary, to carry out activities in accordance with this section. A community development financial institution receiving a grant under this section may capitalize amount received to create financial products, including loans, to carry out activities in accordance with this section. An eligible entity may use— not more than 10 percent of amounts awarded to facilitate the pre-development phase of a new facility, including planning and design; and not more than 10 percent of amounts awarded to partner with a community development financial institution that provides technical assistance and capacity building to help the eligible entity to submit applications to the Program, support an eligible child care provider that is home-based with meeting relevant State and local licensing and quality standards, and conduct pre-development activities. The Secretary shall provide technical assistance and publish best practices online to facilitate the operation of co-location facilities. Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the duration of the Program, the Secretary shall submit a report to the Committees on Financial Services and Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate regarding the implementation of the Program, including— the number of grants awarded; a description of the activities funded; the number of child care slots created, including the number of child care slots serving children from low-income families or children who are dual language learners; the number of child care slots preserved that were at risk of elimination due to a child care center closing or proposed price increases; the number and percentage of residents in a co-location facility that use or are employed by the associated child care program; the number of staff employed by the child care provider; demographic data of residents of housing facilities associated with the Program; the number and type of projects facilitated through eligible uses of amounts described in subsections (e)(2) and (e)(3); the number of early childhood providers supported with funds from the program; and the number of eligible entities of each type that receive grant funding under the Program. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2028. In this section: The term caregiver has the meaning given such term in section 658P of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n). The term eligible child care provider has the meaning given that term under section 658P of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n). The term child care desert means a census tract that contains not less than 3 times more children than the licensed child care providers in such census tract have the capacity to care for, or a census tract where there are no licensed child care providers. The term co-location facility means a housing facility that contains an eligible child care provider within, on the premises of such facility or nearby such facility, where such provider serves the residents of such housing facility. The term community development financial institution has the meaning given such term in section 103 of the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994 (12 U.S.C. 4702). The term community development corporation has the same meaning as when used in the Cranston-Gonzalex National Affordable Housing Act. The term community housing development organization has the meaning given in the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act of 1990. The term eligible entity means— a community development financial institution; an eligible child care provider; a public housing authority; a government entity including a public housing agency; an Indian Tribe or a Tribal organization; a community development corporation; a housing developer using— low income housing tax credits; or new market tax credits; a nonprofit organization that develops housing; community housing development organization; a consortia of 2 or more entities under this paragraph; or another entity identified as appropriate by the Secretary. The terms Indian Tribe and Tribal organization have the meanings given such terms in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304) and shall include tribally designated housing entities (as such term is defined in section 4 of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103)) and entities that serve Native Hawaiians (as such term is defined in section 338K(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254s(c))). The term low-income family has the meaning given such term in section 3(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)). The term public housing agency has the meaning given such term in section 3(b)(6) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)(6)). The term very low-income family has the meaning given such term in section 3(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)).