119th Congress · introduced in the Senate · May 21, 2026
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.
Official title from Congress.gov
Latest action (May 21, 2026): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
View on Congress.govPolicy area: Agriculture and Food
Congressional Research Service summary, version: Introduced in Senate (May 21, 2026)
This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish the Expanding Childcare in Rural America Initiative to prioritize certain loans and grants that address childcare in rural areas. Under the bill, childcare includes eligible programs that provide quality care and early education for children who have not yet entered first grade.
Under the initiative, USDA must give priority to applicants that propose to use certain loans or grants to address the availability, quality, or costs of childcare in rural areas. In addition, USDA must ensure a balanced geographical distribution of the benefits.
USDA must conduct a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the projects carried out under the initiative and submit a report to Congress.
Includes amendment, cloture, and procedural votes. Each is labeled with its exact question; only a passage question is a vote to pass the bill.
No recorded roll calls on this bill in coverage.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Introduced in Senate
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