# 119-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.

119-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., is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS] (R-KS); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-24).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4628
- As of: 2026-06-24
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4628
- Congress: 119
- Title: 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.
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-21
- Sponsor: Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS] (R-KS)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Agriculture and Food
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-06-24

## Summary

**Expanding Childcare in Rural America Initiative** would create a USDA program that gives priority to certain loans and grants to expand the availability, quality, and affordability of childcare in rural areas. It targets projects for fiscal years 2027 through 2029. - Rural families would gain access to more local childcare options and support aimed at lowering costs and improving quality. - Eligible providers, including licensed state providers, school-based programs, and Head Start programs, would receive priority for loans and grants through four USDA programs, such as the Essential Community Facilities program and the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program. - Rural communities would see targeted investments with USDA required to ensure geographic balance. The department must evaluate projects within 3 years and report outcomes to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees within 4 years.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH] (D-NH), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA] (R-IA), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Priority funding for rural childcare programs: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would create the Expanding Childcare in Rural America Initiative at the Department of Agriculture. For fiscal years 2027 through 2029, the Secretary would give selection priority to loan and grant applicants that use funds to address availability, quality, or cost of childcare…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4429: Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026
- 119-s-2511: College Transparency Act
- 119-s-1816: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-s-1289: 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act
- 119-s-315: AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.

## Sources
- [119-s-4628 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4628)

## Related
- [119-s-4429: Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4429)
- [119-s-2511: College Transparency Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2511)
- [119-s-1816: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1816)
- [119-s-1289: 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1289)
- [119-s-315: AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-315)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4628 (as of 2026-06-24).