CCDBG Reauthorization

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I come to the floor today to speak about the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act. I'm glad to say that the bill before us today contains a number of provisions intended to facilitate homeless families' access to quality child care. I appreciate the work of my colleagues, particularly Chairman Harkin, Senator Mikulski and Ranking Member Miller, in supporting these important new provisions.

Unfortunately, young children who are homeless are more likely to have developmental delays, and more health and mental health problems, than low-income housed children. At the same time, their mothers are less likely to receive childcare subsidies than are poor mothers at-risk of homelessness. So I believe that this legislation will be important in helping rectify this inequity.

However, I want to ensure there is a common understanding of who we intend to include within the definition of homeless families or homeless children. The most common Federal definition of homelessness is found in the McKinney-Vento Act's Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program, at 42 U.S.C. 11434A. That definition applies to public schools, including local educational agency preschool programs, and is used in the Head Start Act, Higher Education Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, among others. The definition includes children and youth who are staying in motels, or with others temporarily because they have nowhere else to go. Eighty percent of the homeless children and youth enrolled in public schools last year were staying in these situations when they were first identified.

Is it the chairman's intention that the definition of homeless to be applied to the provisions of this bill be the definition from subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Act, the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program?

Mr. HARKIN. Madam President, I thank the Senator for her important question. Her understanding is correct. The definition of homeless children and youth found at 42 U.S.C. 11434A is the definition we intend to apply to homeless children and families where those terms are used in this bill.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I thank the Senator for that clarification, which will assist States in implementing the provisions of this bill by aligning definitions across Federal programs serving homeless families.

This bill overlaps with the McKinney-Vento Act in another way which I would like to clarify. This bill requires State plans to describe how the State will coordinate childcare services with programs for children in preschool programs and other early childhood programs serving homeless children and children in foster care, in order to expand accessibility and continuity of care and assist children enrolled in early childhood programs to receive full-day services.

The McKinney-Vento Act's Education for Homeless Children and Youth program is the only education program specifically designed to promote academic success for homeless students. The McKinney-Vento Act requires every local educational agency to designate a homeless education liaison, whose job includes identifying homeless children and youth and ensuring homeless children and families receive educational services for they are eligible, including Head Start and preschool programs administered by the local educational agency. In order for States to expand accessibility and continuity of care for homeless children, it is critically important that McKinney-Vento liaisons are among the professionals with whom States and child care providers coordinate.

Is it Senator Mikulski's understanding and intention that McKinney-Vento homeless education liaisons be included among those programs for children in preschool programs and other early childhood programs serving homeless children with which States should coordinate child care services?

Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I thank the Senator for raising the issue of local educational agency McKinney-Vento homeless education liaisons. Given their central role and responsibility in identifying homeless children and ensuring they receive education and early childhood education services for which they are eligible, liaisons are important partners in coordinating childcare services. The Senate-passed version of this legislation had called for coordination with McKinney-Vento homeless education liaisons. It is indeed our intention that State plans include a description of how the State will coordinate childcare services with McKinney-Vento homeless education liaisons.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I thank the Senator for clarifying the bill's intent that McKinney-Vento liaisons be part of States' coordination of childcare services.

I would also like to clarify the intent behind two related bill provisions. First, this bill requires State plans to include a certification that there are in effect in the State requirements applicable to childcare providers which are designed to protect children's health and safety, including the establishment of a grace period that allows homeless children and children in foster care to receive services while their families are taking any necessary actions to comply with immunization and other health and safety requirements. This provision is similar to language found in the McKinney-Vento Act and the Head Start Act. It recognizes that families experiencing homelessness have particular challenges in producing health records and other documents, due largely to their poverty and unstable living situations.

At the same time, the bill requires States to use funds for activities that improve access to childcare services, including the use of procedures to permit enrollment--after an initial eligibility determination--of homeless children while required documentation is obtained. I would ask the chairman, is it the intent of the bill language that regardless of the procedures States use to permit enrollment while required documentation is obtained, States still must establish a grace period that allows homeless children to receive services while their families are taking any necessary actions to comply with immunization and other health and safety requirements?

Mr. HARKIN. Madam President, again, I thank the Senator for this clarifying question. Under this bill, State plans must include a certification that there are in effect in the State requirements that include the establishment of a grace period that allows homeless children to receive services while their families are taking any necessary actions to comply with immunization and other health and safety requirements. That requirement stands apart from procedures the State uses to permit enrollment of homeless children while other required documentation is obtained.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, Thank you for that explanation. I am pleased to hear that homeless children will be able to receive services while their families are taking actions to comply with immunization and other health and safety requirements.

Regarding enrollment while other required documentation is obtained, the bill language requires that States use procedures to ensure such enrollment occurs after an initial eligibility determination is made. Yet, eligibility documentation is among the required documentation homeless families must produce. However, we know that homeless families struggle to produce documents, due to their poverty and mobility. Can Senator Mikulski, please clarify the intent of the phrase ``after an initial eligibility determination?''

Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, The language calls for procedures to permit enrollment of homeless children, after an initial eligibility determination, while required documentation is obtained. To implement this language and its intent, States will need to implement procedures to make abbreviated initial eligibility determinations of homeless children and enroll them immediately, while required documentation, including some documentation to prove eligibility, is obtained.

For example, a State could adopt a procedure that a child referred by a local educational agency McKinney-Vento homeless liaison would be determined to be initially eligible and enrolled in services immediately, while required documentation is obtained. The family then would have to take necessary steps to provide standard documentation to establish eligibility.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I thank Senator Mikulski for that important clarification. The intent of the bill as she describes it will greatly improve homeless children's access to childcare. I appreciate the Senator's dedication to this legislation, which helps expand opportunity for families and enhance the quality of childcare for young people across the country.

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