119th Congress
S. 4628
A bill to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an initiative to address the availability, quality, and cost of childcare in rural areas, and for other purposes.
- Introduced
- In committee
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- To President
- Became law
- Sponsor
- Roger Marshall(R-KS)
- Introduced
- May 21, 2026
- Policy area
- Agriculture and Food
- Committees
- Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
- Official text
- Introduced in Senate · Congress.gov page
Cosponsors (3)
Original cosponsors (3)
- Joni Ernst (R-IA)
- Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH)
- Tina Smith (D-MN)
Summary
Summary by the Congressional Research Service· describes the “Introduced in Senate” version
This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish the Expanding Childcare in Rural America Initiative to prioritize certain loans and grants that address childcare in rural areas. Under the bill, childcare includes eligible programs that provide quality care and early education for children who have not yet entered first grade.
Under the initiative, USDA must give priority to applicants that propose to use certain loans or grants to address the availability, quality, or costs of childcare in rural areas. In addition, USDA must ensure a balanced geographical distribution of the benefits.
USDA must conduct a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the projects carried out under the initiative and submit a report to Congress.
Roll-call votes
No recorded votes on this bill.
Actions
- May 21, 2026 · Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. - May 21, 2026
Introduced in Senate