PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] · D–VA
Legislative record
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Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 28, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-09-24 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Providing Child Care for Firefighters and EMS Act would create competitive grants supporting child care for emergency workers’ minor children during shifts and other nontraditional work hours. Funds could support child care operations, facilities, provider training and help with families’ child care costs. The bill would authorize $30 million annually for fiscal years 2027–2031, subject to separate funding decisions, and end the program on September 30, 2031.
This Act may be cited as the Providing Child Care for Firefighters and EMS Act.
shall establish a program to award grants to lead agencies, on a competitive basis, to assist lead agencies in providing funds to encourage the establishment and operation of child care programs to provide child care services for the minor children of emergency services personnel during the shift work and nontraditional work hours of such personnel.
(B) assistance for the training of child care providers; (C) assistance for emergency medical services providers to provide financial assistance for child care costs for families;
(H) assistance for payment of expenses for operation, construction, or renovation of a child care facility;
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
The program established under this section shall terminate on September 30, 2031.
The Department of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administration for Children and Families, would establish the competitive grant program. Each grant would last three years.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Assistant Secretary of the Administration for Children and Families, shall establish a program to award grants to lead agencies, on a competitive basis
The Secretary shall award a grant under this section for a period of 3 years.
The program would serve firefighters, emergency medical services technicians, paramedics and any other emergency services personnel the Secretary considers appropriate.
The term emergency services personnel means firefighters, emergency medical services technicians, paramedics, and such other emergency services personnel as the Secretary determines appropriate.
Grants would go through lead agencies designated or established under the existing Child Care and Development Block Grant Act. The bill’s definition of State includes the states, District of Columbia, U.S. territories, Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations.
The term lead agency means an agency or office designated or established under section 658D(a) of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858b).
The term State means— (A) each of the several States of the United States; (B) the District of Columbia; (C) the territories of the United States; and (D) an Indian Tribe or Tribal organization (as such terms are defined in section 658P of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n)).
Lead agencies would have to apply under requirements set by the Secretary and assure that the required nonfederal contributions would be provided.
To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a lead agency shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including an assurance that the funds required under subsection (e) will be provided.
Lead agencies would pass funds to emergency medical services providers or partnerships that include at least one such provider. Those partnerships could also include local government, a child care provider or a foundation. Recipients would have to be within the lead agency’s state, territory or Tribal land and could operate child care directly or contract with providers.
A lead agency shall use a grant awarded under this section to provide funds to covered entities located in the State, territory, or Tribal land of the lead agency to enable the covered entities to establish and operate child care programs (directly or by contract with child care providers).
The term consortium means a partnership that includes one or more emergency medical services providers and may also include a unit of local government, a child care provider, or a foundation.
The term covered entity means an emergency medical services provider or a consortium.
Permitted uses would include startup costs, provider training, financial help with families’ child care costs, care for sick children and contracts with local child care resource and referral organizations or health departments.
Such funds may be used by the covered entity or (through such a contract) child care provider to provide assistance that may include— (A) assistance for the startup costs related to a child care program; (B) assistance for the training of child care providers; (C) assistance for emergency medical services providers to provide financial assistance for child care costs for families; (D) assistance for the provision of services to care for sick children or to provide care to children; (E) assistance through contracts entered into by emergency medical services providers with local child care resource and referral organizations or local health departments;
Funds could also support care for children with disabilities, expanded or nonstandard child care hours, facility operation, construction or renovation, and other relevant activities approved by the lead agency.
(F) assistance for care for children with disabilities; (G) assistance to maintain nonstandard hours for expanded hours of child care; (H) assistance for payment of expenses for operation, construction, or renovation of a child care facility; or (I) assistance for any other relevant activity determined appropriate by the lead agency.
Local recipients would have to apply to the lead agency. For a partnership that includes a local government, that government would submit the application. A lead agency could provide no more than $3 million from its grant funds to any one applicant.
the covered entity or, if the entity is a consortium including a unit of local government, the unit of local government involved, shall prepare and submit to the lead agency an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the lead agency may require.
With respect to grant funds received under this section, a lead agency may not provide in excess of $3,000,000 from such funds to any single applicant.
Recipient organizations would have to supply nonfederal contributions, directly or through public or private donations, toward their activity costs. The minimum would be 10 percent of costs in their first fiscal year receiving funds and 25 percent in their second. The supplied text renders the third-year minimum as “332/3 percent,” leaving its numerical formatting unclear.
the covered entity will make available (directly or through donations from public or private entities) non-Federal contributions for such costs in an amount equal to— (1) for the first fiscal year for which the covered entity receives such funds, not less than 10 percent of such costs; (2) for the second fiscal year for which the covered entity receives such funds, not less than 25 percent of such costs; and (3) for the third fiscal year for which the covered entity receives such funds, not less than 332/3 percent of such costs.
Child care providers receiving assistance would have to satisfy the definitions and requirements in one specified provision of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act and two federal regulations, including successor regulations. Those outside provisions are not reproduced in the bundle.
To be eligible to receive assistance under a grant awarded under this section, a child care provider shall meet the definitions of, and requirements specified in, each of the following: (1) Section 658P(6) of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n(6)). (2) Section 98.41 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations). (3) Section 98.43 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations).
Lead agencies would administer grants, monitor spending and compliance with health and safety requirements, and provide recipient organizations with technical assistance throughout the grant. They would also have duties incorporated from existing child care law.
A lead agency shall, with respect to administering a grant awarded under this section, have the duties described in section 658D(b) of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858b(b)). A lead agency shall have the responsibility for administering a grant awarded under this section and for monitoring use of funds and adherence to health and safety requirements by covered entities and child care providers that receive funds under such grant.
A lead agency administering a grant awarded under this section shall, for the duration of the period of such grant, provide to covered entities technical assistance regarding such grant.
Each recipient organization and child care provider funded through it would have to conduct an annual audit of its activities and submit the audit to the lead agency.
A lead agency shall require each covered entity receiving funds under a grant awarded under this section, and any child care provider receiving funds through the covered entity, to conduct an annual audit with respect to the activities of the covered entity and the child care provider. Such audits shall be submitted to the lead agency.
If a lead agency found misuse of funds, it would have to notify the Secretary. The Secretary could seek repayment of the misused amount plus interest and would have to establish an appeals process by regulation.
If the lead agency determines, through an audit or otherwise, that a covered entity or child care provider receiving funds under a grant awarded under this section has misused the funds, the lead agency shall notify the Secretary of the misuse. The Secretary, upon such a notification, may seek from such covered entity or child care provider the repayment of an amount equal to the amount of any such misused funds plus interest.
The Secretary shall by regulation provide for an appeals process with respect to repayments under this paragraph.
Within two years after the first grants, the Secretary would have to study recipients’ capacity to meet community child care needs, the kinds of local partnerships formed, and program users and their income levels. A report to the appropriate congressional committees would be due within 28 months after the first grants.
Not later than 2 years after the date on which the Secretary first awards grants under this section, the Secretary shall conduct a study to determine— (i) the capacity of covered entities, and child care providers receiving funds through such a grant, to meet the child care needs of communities within States; (ii) the kinds of consortia that are being formed with respect to child care at the local level to carry out programs funded under this section; and (iii) who is using the programs funded under this section and the income levels of such individuals.
Not later than 28 months after the date on which the Secretary first awards grants under this section, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the results of the study conducted in accordance with subparagraph (A).
Within four years after the first grants, a second study would examine how many facilities receiving construction or renovation funds remained open, how well they met users’ child care needs, and unmet needs among other first responders covered by a referenced statutory definition. The congressional report would be due within 52 months after the first grants.
Not later than 4 years after the date on which the Secretary first awards grants under this section, the Secretary shall conduct a study to determine— (i) the number of child care facilities that— (I) receive funds for construction or renovation through covered entities that received funds through a grant awarded under this section; and (II) remain in operation; (ii) the extent to which such facilities are meeting the child care needs of the individuals served by such facilities; and (iii) the extent to which other sectors of first responders, as defined in section 3025 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10705), have unmet child care needs.
Not later than 52 months after the date on which the Secretary first awards grants under this section, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the results of the study conducted in accordance with subparagraph (A).
The bill would authorize Congress to provide $30 million for each fiscal year from 2027 through 2031; this authorization would not itself supply the money. No more than $2.5 million of the total amount actually appropriated for that period could be used for required studies and administration.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
With respect to the total amount appropriated for the period of fiscal years 2027 through 2031 in accordance with this subsection, not more than $2,500,000 of that amount may be used for expenditures related to conducting studies required under, and the administration of, this section.
The proposed program would terminate on September 30, 2031.
The program established under this section shall terminate on September 30, 2031.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated September 28, 2026, records introduction in the House on September 24, 2026, and referral that day to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Education and Workforce Committee for provisions within their respective jurisdictions.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-28T16:13:53Z.
2026-09-24: Introduced in House
2026-09-24: Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-09-24. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish what appears in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; formal earmark status cannot be resolved for other versions or absent accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption or preferential exception was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. Coverage of the program’s intended beneficiaries alone is not classified as a targeted benefit. This conclusion is limited to this version, not other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 28, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI