# 119-s-3231: Respite CARE Act

119-s-3231, Respite CARE Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3231
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3231
- Congress: 119
- Title: Respite CARE Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-11-20
- Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Social Welfare
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Integrated respite care grants** to give family caregivers short-term relief while they get other support services. The bill would authorize the Assistant Secretary to award grants to eligible entities to develop or expand integrated caregiver support services. - Families and caregivers: Family caregivers would get respite care that can include health care and child care. The law would specifically cover older relative caregivers age 55 or older and require services be accessible, including assistive technology, translation, and American Sign Language. - Providers: Grant recipients may provide respite directly or contract with health care providers or child care providers. Child care providers must meet state licensing rules and participate in the State quality tier system or meet Tribal rules. - Eligible applicants: States, local government agencies, nonprofits, area agencies on aging, multipurpose senior centers, institutions of higher education, and Tribal organizations may apply for grants.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY), 2025-11-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kim, Andy [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2025-11-20T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More respite help for caregivers: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would create federal grants to expand respite care and other caregiver services together. Grants would require respite to be given at the same time and in the same setting as supportive services. Services must be accessible, using assistive tech, translation, and formats like A…
- Who qualifies and what is respite: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would define who counts as a family caregiver and as an older relative caregiver. It would say respite care can include health care and child care for the care recipient. The bill would exclude paid or professional caregivers from the family caregiver definition. Older relative…
- Which providers can give respite: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would let grant recipients contract with health care providers defined under the Public Health Service Act and with Federally Qualified Health Centers. It would also require child care providers to be licensed, join the State's tiered quality system, and meet state and local ru…

## Related bills

- 119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act

## Sources
- [119-s-3231 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3231)

## Related
- [119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2120)
- [119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5022)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3231 (as of 2026-04-21).