Rise Up for Child Care Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9993 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9993

To increase child care supply availability and affordability and invest 
           in home based child care, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 30, 2026

    Ms. Moore of Wisconsin introduced the following bill; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To increase child care supply availability and affordability and invest 
           in home based child care, 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 ``Rise Up for Child Care Act of 
2026''.

SEC. 2. CHILD CARE ENTITLEMENT.

    (a) Replacement of Requirement That Portion of Funds Be Used for 
Certain Populations, With Child Care Guarantee.--
            (1) In general.--Section 418(b)(2) of the Social Security 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 618(b)(2)) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(2) Child care guarantee for certain populations.--As a 
        condition of receiving funds under this section, a State shall 
        guarantee the provision of child care services to--
                    ``(A) each recipient of assistance under the State 
                program funded under this part or under a State program 
                funded with qualified State expenditures (as defined in 
                section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)); and
                    ``(B) each individual who is a former recipient of 
                assistance under such a program, for any portion of the 
                24-month period beginning with the date the individual 
                left the program involved.''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 418(c) of such Act (42 
        U.S.C. 618(c)) is amended by inserting ``except to the extent 
        that such a requirement or limitation would interfere with the 
        provision of child care services required by subsection 
        (b)(2)'' before the period.
    (b) Elimination of State Caps.--Section 418(a) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 618(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) by striking subparagraphs (B) and (D) and 
                redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (B); and
                    (B) in subparagraph (B) (as so redesignated), by 
                striking ``the lesser of the State's allotment under 
                subparagraph (B) or''; and
            (2) in paragraph (5), by striking ``(2)(C)'' and inserting 
        ``(2)(B)''.
    (c) Open-Ended Entitlement.--Section 418(a) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
618(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``Subject to the amount 
        appropriated under paragraph (3), each'' and inserting 
        ``Each''; and
            (2) in paragraph (3), by striking ``$3,550,000,000'' and 
        all that follows and inserting ``such sums as are necessary to 
        carry out this section for each fiscal year.''.
    (d) Home-Based Child Care Investments.--
            (1) Separate matching rate for expenditures to supplement 
        wages and benefits for home-based child care providers.--
        Section 418(a)(2)(B) of such Act, as so redesignated by 
        subsection (b)(1)(A) of this section, is amended by inserting 
        ``, except that, with respect to the excess expenditures that 
        are made to carry out a State plan to supplement the wages and 
        benefits of persons working for a child care provider in a 
        home-based child care setting, that percentage shall be 75 
        percent'' before the period.
            (2) Study.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
                Services (in this paragraph referred to as the 
                ``Secretary'') shall direct the Office of Planning, 
                Research, and Evaluation in the Administration for 
                Children and Families to study the effects of the 
                amendment made by paragraph (1), and conduct research 
                and maintain a research portfolio with respect to the 
                effects.
                    (B) Personnel involved.--In employing and retaining 
                career civil servants for the conduct and maintenance 
                of the research portfolio, the Secretary shall give 
                priority to persons with any of the following 
                characteristics:
                            (i) Prior work experience at the Department 
                        of Health and Human Services.
                            (ii) Prior experience working on or 
                        evaluating discretionary grant programs.
                            (iii) Prior experience administering 
                        Federal grants, child care programs, or means-
                        tested public assistance programs.
                    (C) Report to congress.--During each Congress, the 
                Secretary shall submit a report to the Congress on the 
                results of the study required by subparagraph (A).
                    (D) Funding.--Out of any funds in the Treasury not 
                otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated 
                $20,000,000 for each fiscal year to carry out this 
                paragraph.
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