# 119-hr-728: Expanding Head Start Eligibility Act of 2025

119-hr-728, Expanding Head Start Eligibility Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-8] (D-CA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-16).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-728
- As of: 2026-07-16
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-728
- Congress: 119
- Title: Expanding Head Start Eligibility Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-01-24
- Sponsor: Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-8] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 28
- Policy area: Social Welfare
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-16

## Summary

**Expands Head Start eligibility by broadening "public assistance".** This bill would amend the Head Start Act to explicitly list specific federal and state nutrition, income, and housing benefits as forms of public assistance so more children could qualify for Head Start based on the benefits their households receive. - Families with young children: Receipt of listed benefits such as part A of title IV (TANF), title XVI benefits (SSI), SNAP, and certain child nutrition assistance would count toward Head Start eligibility, making it easier for benefit-recipient households to qualify. - Children in subsidized housing: Households receiving assistance under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 would be treated as receiving public assistance for Head Start purposes, potentially expanding access for children in voucher-assisted homes. - Tribal and state food programs: The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations and state-funded food assistance programs with SNAP-like income rules would be included, clarifying eligibility for tribal families and state program recipients.

## Cosponsors (28)

- Sylvester Turner (D-TX), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1] (D-IL), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick, Sheila [D-FL-20] (D-FL), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3] (D-AZ), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4] (D-VA), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1] (D-NV), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46] (D-CA), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4] (D-WI), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5] (D-IL), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42] (D-CA), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gonzalez, Vicente [D-TX-34] (D-TX), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4] (D-IL), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5] (D-CT), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6] (D-MA), 2025-01-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Trahan, Lori [D-MA-3] (D-MA), 2025-01-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Friedman, Laura [D-CA-30] (D-CA), 2025-01-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1] (D-WA), 2025-01-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9] (D-WA), 2025-02-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sánchez, Linda T. [D-CA-38] (D-CA), 2025-02-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1] (D-NM), 2025-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3] (D-PA), 2025-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Landsman, Greg [D-OH-1] (D-OH), 2025-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cisneros, Gilbert Ray [D-CA-31] (D-CA), 2025-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20] (D-TX), 2025-03-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davids, Sharice [D-KS-3] (D-KS), 2025-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1] (D-MO), 2026-07-14T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More Head Start access for families: benefit, medium. If enacted, this would expand what counts as “public assistance” for Head Start. Families who get TANF, SSI, SNAP, NAP, FDPIR, state SNAP‑like benefits, school nutrition aid, or Section 8 vouchers could have those benefits count when applying for Head Start. That could let more children qualify for…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-8800: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1101: Taxpayer Data Protection Act
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-15: Equality Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-728 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/728)

## Related
- [119-hr-8800: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8800)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1589)
- [119-hr-1101: Taxpayer Data Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1101)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-728 (as of 2026-07-16).