# 119-s-5364: Rural Mothers and Fathers Choice Act

119-s-5364, Rural Mothers and Fathers Choice Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS] (R-MS); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5364
- As of: 2026-08-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5364
- Congress: 119
- Title: Rural Mothers and Fathers Choice Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-08-07
- Sponsor: Sen. Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS] (R-MS)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-21

## Summary

**Establishes a 10-year, place-based hub-and-spoke program to strengthen families in rural and Tribal communities.** It would fund coordinated early childhood, K–12, health, workforce, and infrastructure supports tailored to persistent rural gaps in childcare, literacy, attendance, broadband, and health access. - Families and children would get family support hubs offering case management, home visits, parenting guidance, mental health and substance use supports, telehealth, and transportation for childcare access. - Students and schools would receive tutoring and literacy programs, after-school supports, attendance interventions, aligned career and technical education pathways, and school-based mental health services to boost readiness and on-time graduation. - Rural workers and small businesses would gain workforce training, apprenticeships, childcare-linked career supports, small business coaching, and broadband and transportation enablers to connect people with local jobs. - Grant applicants and Tribal communities would face structured rules: up to three planning grants of as much as $500,000 each per year; up to six implementation grants at $6.0 million per year for 10 years; a 10% Tribal set-aside; administrative reserves of 5–7% with at least 30% for a national technical assistance provider; and a rising local match of 0% (years 1–3), 10% (years 4–6), and 20% (years 7–10).

## Provisions PRIA read

- Grant selection and application timing: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Secretary would publish a Notice of Funding Availability within 120 days after enactment. Applications would be due 45 days after that notice, and awards would be made within 120 days after the application period closes. The agency would give priority to applicants in counties under…
- How program funds would be split: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would authorize such sums as are necessary for FY2027 through FY2036. Each year the Secretary would reserve 5%–7% of appropriated funds for administration, evaluation, and technical assistance. At least 30% of that administrative reserve would fund a single national technical a…
- 10-year rural implementation grants: mixed, medium. If enacted, the Secretary could award up to six implementation grants. Each grant could pay up to $6 million per year for up to 10 years, subject to annual appropriations and performance reviews after years 3 and 6. Grantees would have to use funds across hub-and-spoke sites in at least four of six…
- Grantee reporting and family oversight: mixed, low. If enacted, grantees would submit reports to the Secretary at least twice per year with detailed data on income, employment, food security, developmental screening, kindergarten readiness, childcare access and cost, chronic absenteeism, grade 3 literacy, grade 8 math, high school graduation, substa…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-2465: Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026
- 119-s-688: Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvests Act of 2025
- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-4842: American Food Supply Chain Resiliency Act
- 119-s-1874: Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-5364 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5364)

## Related
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-2465: Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriati…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2465)
- [119-s-688: Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvests Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-688)
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-4842: American Food Supply Chain Resiliency Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4842)
- [119-s-1874: Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1874)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5364 (as of 2026-08-21).