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119-hr-5363119th CongressWALLET

Expanding Childcare in Rural America Act of 2025

Sponsored By: Representative Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp [D-WA-3]

In Committee

Summary

Expands childcare access in rural and farming communities by creating a USDA-led initiative that prioritizes loans, grants, and technical assistance for 2026 through 2030. It targets availability, quality, and cost of early care in agricultural areas and requires formal evaluation and reporting on outcomes.

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  • Families: Targets help to increase availability and affordability of early care in agricultural and rural communities, with priority for farming-dependent counties.
  • Childcare providers: Gives priority access to multiple USDA rural loan and grant programs for facility purchase, construction, renovation, and provider supports.
  • Local groups and intermediaries: Allows awards through childcare resource and referral organizations, staffed family child care networks, community development financial institutions, and nonprofits with proven expertise.
  • Rural communities: Requires balanced geographic distribution and favors communities identified as farming-dependent under the 2015 Economic Research Service typology.
  • Accountability: USDA must complete a comprehensive evaluation of Initiative projects within 2 years and report the findings to Congressional agriculture committees within 3 years.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

More childcare help for rural families

This bill would create the Expanding Childcare in Rural America Initiative at the Department of Agriculture for fiscal years 2026 through 2030. The Secretary would prioritize loans and grants that increase childcare availability, quality, or lower costs in agricultural and rural communities. Priority would go to communities in farming‑dependent counties as defined by the 2015 ERS county typology (as revised), and the Secretary would ensure benefits are balanced geographically. Awards could be made through intermediaries like childcare resource and referral groups, staffed family child care networks, community development financial institutions, and nonprofits. The Secretary would give priority for certain USDA loan and grant programs to applicants using funds for childcare (including essential community facilities loans and grants; section 306 technical assistance and training grants; rural business development grants; business and industry direct and guaranteed loans; rural microentrepreneur assistance; and RISE grants). The Secretary would evaluate Initiative projects within 2 years and report the results to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees within 3 years.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp [D-WA-3]

WA • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Mann, Tracey [R-KS-1]

    KS • R

    Sponsored 9/15/2025

  • Rep. Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14]

    IL • D

    Sponsored 9/15/2025

  • Rep. Baird, James R. [R-IN-4]

    IN • R

    Sponsored 9/15/2025

  • Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1]

    NC • D

    Sponsored 3/2/2026

  • Rep. Davids, Sharice [D-KS-3]

    KS • D

    Sponsored 3/3/2026

  • Rep. Schrier, Kim [D-WA-8]

    WA • D

    Sponsored 7/23/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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