This bill directs the Health and Human Services Secretary to study federal, state, and private programs supporting job training and apprenticeships for current and former foster youth, evaluating effectiveness, gaps, and barriers. It then establishes the "Fostering the Future Pipeline Program" to provide competitive grants to states, schools, employers, and nonprofits for expanding industry-aligned training in high-demand fields like healthcare and IT, with a $50 million annual funding limit. The bill also amends existing foster care funding to allow education vouchers to cover short-term career programs, such as registered apprenticeships and certificate courses. These changes directly affect foster youth transitioning to adulthood by improving access to career pathways and workforce opportunities.
The Building Child Care for a Better Future Act (HR 2595) increases federal child care funding to $20 billion for fiscal year 2026 with annual inflation-based increases, plus an additional $5 billion annually for targeted improvements in child care access and quality. It allocates specific portions of funds to Indian tribes (5%) and territories (4%), requiring states and tribes to identify areas with particular child care needs and develop plans to improve workforce, supply, quality, and access through activities like provider training, facility upgrades, and higher wages. The bill mandates regular reporting and evaluations to track how funds improve child care services for low-income families, children with disabilities, dual language learners, and those in rural or high-poverty areas. This legislation directly affects child care providers, low-income families seeking care, and tribal organizations by providing concrete funding mechanisms to address specific child care shortages.
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Children
HR 413, the CHILD Act of 2025, increases the annual tax benefit limit for dependent care assistance programs from $5,000 to $10,000 (with $2,500 to $5,000 for single filers) for taxpayers using employer-sponsored dependent care accounts. It adds automatic annual cost-of-living adjustments to these limits based on inflation, rounding increases to the nearest $50. The bill also removes an outdated provision (previously referenced as subparagraph (D)) from the tax code. These changes directly affect working parents and caregivers who use dependent care benefits, applying to tax years beginning after December 31, 2024.
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Children
The Child Care Infrastructure Act (HR 3274) allocates $10 billion to improve safety and infrastructure at child care facilities, primarily benefiting providers serving low-income families, infants/toddlers, rural communities, and nontraditional-hour programs. It requires states to conduct needs assessments (including pandemic impacts on capacity and costs) and use grants for facility renovations, construction, or safety upgrades, with a 10% state match requirement. Intermediary organizations, such as community development groups, can also receive grants to provide technical assistance and financing for child care facilities. The bill mandates prevailing wage standards for construction work and requires annual reports on how improvements affect access, quality, and pandemic-related challenges, with final outcomes due by 2030.
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Children
The Building Child Care for a Better Future Act authorizes $20 billion annually for child care programs starting in 2026, with automatic annual increases based on inflation, and creates a new $5 billion annual grant program to improve child care workforce, supply, quality, and access in underserved communities. It requires states, territories, and tribes to identify areas with particular child care needs and prioritize services for low-income families, children with disabilities, rural areas, dual-language learners, and providers serving high proportions of eligible children. The bill mandates detailed reporting on how funds are used, including annual assessments of child care supply and quality improvements, and ensures federal funds supplement rather than replace existing state child care funding. This legislation directly affects states, tribes, child care providers, and families seeking affordable, high-quality child care in communities with limited access.
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Children
This bill creates a federal program providing child care assistance to working families with children under age 6 through direct child care certificates that parents can use to pay for high-quality child care services. States must develop plans with payment rates covering provider costs and wages, sliding fee scales based on family income (with no copayment for families earning under 85% of state median income), and policies prioritizing vulnerable children including those with disabilities, experiencing homelessness, or from low-income families. The program requires providers to meet quality standards, prohibit suspensions/expulsions, and implement quality improvement activities while ensuring accessibility for underserved populations. It is funded through significant federal appropriations for fiscal years 2026-2031.
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Children
HR 7498, the After Hours Child Care Act, creates a new Child Care and Development Innovation Fund to expand child care access for parents working nontraditional hours (like evenings, nights, or weekends). The bill directly affects working parents with young children who struggle to find care outside standard 9-to-5 hours, aiming to help them stay employed and advance in their careers. It authorizes $25,000-$500,000 grants for up to 5 years to eligible entities (such as child care providers or partnerships with businesses) to expand existing programs, establish new onsite workplace child care, or improve facilities and staff training. Grantees must cover 25% of costs, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services must report every two years on the program’s impact, including children served and changes in child care availability.
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Children
The Child Care Modernization Act of 2025 amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act to improve access to high-quality child care for working parents. It requires states to develop plans with input from parents, providers, and employers, and to set payment rates that cover providers' full costs including staff salaries and benefits. The bill creates a new grant program to expand child care supply through facilities improvements and support for providers serving priority populations like homeless children, rural communities, and children with disabilities. It clarifies eligibility requirements, including income limits for families and definitions for "eligible child" and "eligible activity." The act aims to increase the number of low-income children in high-quality child care settings while supporting the child care workforce.
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Children
The Child Care Workforce Act (S 846) establishes a federal pilot program to boost pay for eligible child care workers in states, Indian Tribes, and Tribal organizations. It provides competitive grants to fund wage supplements targeting low-wage workers, aiming to attract and retain staff, improve well-being, and increase access to quality, affordable child care - particularly in underserved areas and for infants/toddlers or children with disabilities. Grantees must prioritize funding for high-need regions, pay supplements quarterly, and provide workers with tax/public benefit information, with up to 10% of funds allowed for administrative costs. The program will be evaluated after two years to measure impacts on worker retention, service quality, and affordability.
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Children
The Protecting Children Act increases penalties for employers violating child labor laws, raising civil penalties to as much as $700,000 for serious violations involving children and doubling or tripling penalties for violations that cause harm to young workers. It establishes a National Advisory Committee on Child Labor to advise federal agencies and creates a fund using penalty collections to support enforcement, research, and education about child labor. The bill updates processes for reviewing hazardous occupations for children and requires annual reports on child labor enforcement activities, statistics, and the effectiveness of protections. These provisions directly affect employers who hire children, children working in hazardous conditions, and federal agencies responsible for labor and safety enforcement.
