United States Code

42 U.S.C. § 618

Funding for child care

Statute Watch

Get an alert when any bill in Congress would change this law — and every time it moves.

Sign in to follow →

Bills that would change it 53

  • S 4322 Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act of 2026 Amends its part · introduced · 119th Congress
  • HR 8327 Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act of 2026 Amends its part · introduced · 119th Congress
  • HR 6312 Tri-Share Child Care Pilot Act of 2025 Amends · introduced · 119th Congress
  • HR 3274 Child Care Infrastructure Act Amends its part · introduced · 119th Congress
  • S 1411 PROSPECT Act Amends 618(a)(2)(C) · introduced · 119th Congress
  • HR 2845 PROSPECT Act Amends 618(a)(2)(C) · introduced · 119th Congress
  • S 1285 Building Child Care for a Better Future Act Amends 618(a)(3), 618(a) · introduced · 119th Congress
  • HR 2595 Building Child Care for a Better Future Act Amends 618(a)(3), 618(a) · introduced · 119th Congress
  • HR 479 Targeting Child Care Funds Based on Poverty Act of 2023 Amends 618(a)(2)(B) · introduced · 118th Congress
  • HR 6803 Grandfamilies Act of 2023 Amends its part · introduced · 118th Congress
  • HR 5876 Building Child Care for a Better Future Act Amends 618(a)(3), 618(a) · introduced · 118th Congress
  • HR 5629 Child Poverty Reduction Act of 2023 Amends its part · introduced · 118th Congress
  • HR 1630 PROSPECT Act Amends 618(a)(2)(C) · introduced · 118th Congress
  • S 3501 Grandfamilies Act of 2023 Amends its part · introduced · 118th Congress
  • S 2906 Child Poverty Reduction Act of 2023 Amends its part · introduced · 118th Congress
  • HR 4858 Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act of 2023 Amends its part · introduced · 118th Congress
  • S 2494 Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act of 2023 Amends its part · introduced · 118th Congress
  • S 2013 Building Child Care for a Better Future Act Amends 618(a)(3), 618(a) · introduced · 118th Congress
  • S 848 PROSPECT Act Amends 618(a)(2)(C) · introduced · 118th Congress
  • HR 9333 Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act of 2022 Amends its part · introduced · 117th Congress
  • S 5121 Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act of 2022 Amends its part · introduced · 117th Congress
  • HR 8862 PRO–LIFE Act of 2022 Amends its part · introduced · 117th Congress
  • S 4489 Grandfamilies Act of 2022 Amends its part · introduced · 117th Congress
  • S 3088 Five Freedoms for America’s Children Act Amends 618(a)(3), 618(a) · introduced · 117th Congress
  • HR 4540 Improving Access to Child Care Act Amends 618(a)(3) · introduced · 117th Congress
  • HR 4509 Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services for Success Act Amends 618(a)(3) · introduced · 117th Congress
  • S 2381 Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services for Success Act Amends 618(a)(3) · introduced · 117th Congress
  • HR 4462 Promoting Equitable Access to Paid Family Leave Act of 2021 Amends · introduced · 117th Congress
  • HR 3667 Targeting Child Care Funds Based on Poverty Act of 2021 Amends 618(a)(2)(B) · introduced · 117th Congress
  • S 1842 Building Child Care for a Better Future Act Amends 618(a)(3), 618(a) · introduced · 117th Congress
  • HR 3502 Increasing Parent Choice and Preventing the Child Care Cliff Act of 2021 Amends · introduced · 117th Congress
  • HR 1911 Child Care is Infrastructure Act Amends its part · introduced · 117th Congress
  • HR 1319 American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Amends 618(a)(3), 618(a)(2)(A) · enacted · 117th Congress
  • S 643 Child Poverty Reduction Act of 2021 Amends its part · introduced · 117th Congress
  • HR 1558 Child Poverty Reduction Act of 2021 Amends its part · introduced · 117th Congress
  • HR 2 Moving Forward Act Amends its part · introduced · 116th Congress
  • S 3168 PROSPECT Act Amends 618(a)(2)(C) · introduced · 116th Congress
  • HR 5475 PROSPECT Act Amends 618(a)(2)(C) · introduced · 116th Congress
  • S 3001 Permanent Relief for Seniors and Medicare, Medicaid, Human Services Extension Act of 2019 Amends 618(a)(3) · introduced · 116th Congress
  • HR 3298 Child Care Quality and Access Act of 2019 Amends 618(a)(3) · introduced · 116th Congress
  • HR 2967 Grandfamilies Act of 2019 Amends its part · introduced · 116th Congress
  • S 1660 Grandfamilies Act of 2019 Amends its part · introduced · 116th Congress
  • S 802 Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services for Success Act Amends 618(a)(3) · introduced · 116th Congress
  • HR 1753 Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services for Success Act Amends 618(a)(3) · introduced · 116th Congress
  • HR 1245 Improving Access to Child Care Act Amends 618(a)(3) · introduced · 116th Congress
  • HR 260 Medicaid Provisions and TANF Extenders Act of 2019 Amends 618(a)(3) · introduced · 116th Congress
  • HR 648 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 Amends 618(a)(3) · introduced · 116th Congress
  • HR 21 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 Amends 618(a)(3) · introduced · 116th Congress
  • HR 5861 Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services for Success Act Amends 618(a)(3) · introduced · 115th Congress
  • HR 5835 Improving Access to Child Care Act Amends 618(a)(3) · introduced · 115th Congress

Showing the 50 most recently active.

The law today

From the official United States Code, current through Public Law 119-121.

(a) General child care entitlement (1) General entitlement Subject to the amount appropriated under paragraph (3), each State shall, for the purpose of providing child care assistance, be entitled to payments under a grant under this subsection for a fiscal year in an amount equal to the greater of— (A) the total amount required to be paid to the State under section 603 of this title for fiscal year 1994 or 1995 (whichever is greater) with respect to expenditures for child care under subsections (g) and (i) of section 602 of this title (as in effect before October 1, 1995); or (B) the average of the total amounts required to be paid to the State for fiscal years 1992 through 1994 under the subsections referred to in subparagraph (A). (2) Remainder (A) Grants The Secretary shall use any amounts appropriated for a fiscal year under paragraph (3)(A), after grants are awarded under paragraph (1), to make grants to States under this paragraph. (B) Allotments to States The total amount available for payments to States under this paragraph, as determined under subparagraph (A), shall be allotted among the States based on the formula used for determining the amount of Federal payments to each State under section 603(n) of this title (as in effect before October 1, 1995). (C) Federal matching of State expenditures exceeding historical expenditures The Secretary shall pay to each eligible State for a fiscal year an amount equal to the lesser of the State’s allotment under subparagraph (B) or the Federal medical assistance percentage for the State for the fiscal year (as defined in section 1396d(b) of this title, as such section was in effect on September 30, 1995) of so much of the State’s expenditures for child care in that fiscal year as exceed the total amount of expenditures by the State (including expenditures from amounts made available from Federal funds) in fiscal year 1994 or 1995 (whichever is greater) for the programs described in paragraph (1)(A). (D) Redistribution (i) In general With respect to any fiscal year, if the Secretary determines (in accordance with clause (ii)) that any amounts allotted to a State under this paragraph for such fiscal year will not be used by such State during such fiscal year for carrying out the purpose for which such amounts are allotted, the Secretary shall make such amounts available in the subsequent fiscal year for carrying out such purpose to one or more States which apply for such funds to the extent the Secretary determines that such States will be able to use such additional amounts for carrying out such purpose. Such available amounts shall be redistributed to a State pursuant to section 603(n) of this title (as such section was in effect before October 1, 1995) by substituting “the number of children residing in all States applying for such funds” for “the number of children residing in the United States in the second preceding fiscal year”. (ii) Time of determination and distribution The determination of the Secretary under clause (i) for a fiscal year shall be made not later than the end of the first quarter of the subsequent fiscal year. The redistribution of amounts under clause (i) shall be made as close as practicable to the date on which such determination is made. Any amount made available to a State from an appropriation for a fiscal year in accordance with this subparagraph shall, for purposes of this part, be regarded as part of such State’s payment (as determined under this subsection) for the fiscal year in which the redistribution is made. (3) Appropriation For grants under this section, there are appropriated $3,550,000,000 for each fiscal year, of which— (A) $3,375,000,000 shall be available for grants to States; (B) $100,000,000 shall be available for grants to Indian tribes and tribal organizations; and (C) $75,000,000 shall be available for grants to territories. (4) Territories (A) Grants The Secretary shall use the amounts made available by paragraph (3)(C) to make grants to the territories under this paragraph. (B) Allotments The amount described in subparagraph (A) shall be allotted among the territories in proportion to their respective needs. (C) Redistribution The 1st sentence of clause (i) and clause (ii) of paragraph (2)(D) shall apply with respect to the amounts allotted to the territories under this paragraph, except that the 2nd sentence of paragraph (2)(D) shall not apply and the amounts allotted to the territories that are available for redistribution for a fiscal year shall be redistributed to each territory that applies for the additional amounts, to the extent that the Secretary determines that the territory will be able to use the additional amounts to provide child care assistance, in an amount that bears the same ratio to the amount so available for redistribution as the amount allotted to the territory for the fiscal year bears to the total amount allotted to all the territories receiving redistributed funds under this paragraph for the fiscal year. (D) Inapplicability of payment limitation Section 1308(a) of this title shall not apply with respect to any amount paid under this paragraph. (E) Territory In this paragraph, the term “territory” means the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. (5) Data used to determine State and Federal shares of expenditures In making the determinations concerning expenditures required under paragraphs (1) and (2)(C), the Secretary shall use information that was reported by the State on ACF Form 231 and available as of the applicable dates specified in clauses (i)(I), (ii), and (iii)(III) of section 603(a)(1)(D) 1 of this title. (b) Use of funds (1) In general Amounts received by a State under this section shall only be used to provide child care assistance. Amounts received by a State under a grant under subsection (a)(1) shall be available for use by the State without fiscal year limitation. (2) Use for certain populations A State shall ensure that not less than 70 percent of the total amount of funds received by the State in a fiscal year under this section are used to provide child care assistance to families who are receiving assistance under a State program under this part, families who are attempting through work activities to transition off of such assistance program, and families who are at risk of becoming dependent on such assistance program. (c) Application of Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, amounts provided to a State under this section shall be transferred to the lead agency under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 [42 U.S.C. 9857 et seq.], integrated by the State into the programs established by the State under such Act, and be subject to requirements and limitations of such Act. (d) “State” defined As used in this section, the term “State” means each of the 50 States and the District of Columbia.
Official text at uscode.house.gov ↗