Candidate Notes on 99-WC9

99-WC9 on Jul 15, 1999

The teams of the Women’s Caucus are charged with advancing action on their designated issues in a bipartisan manner. Legislation from Team 6. CHILDREN’S ISSUES AND CHILD CARE:
• HR206—A bill to provide for greater access to child care services for Federal employees (Morella) [STATUS: enacted as part of the FY2000 Treasury-Postal Appropriations bill]
• HR1112—Kiddie Mac—A bill to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to insure mortgages for the acquisition, construction, or substantial rehabilitation of child care and development facilities and to establish the Children’s Development Commission to certify such facilities for such insurance, and for other purposes. (Maloney/Baker) STATUS: Hearing held, October 8, 1999
• (bipartisan portions of) HR1139, the ACCESS Act on Child Care Affordability (Tauscher)—A bill to expand the dependent care tax credit, to provide grants to business consortia,

and to establish a new Model State’s Early Learning Fund to support programs to improve early learning and the quality and safety of child care for children ages 0-5. (Tauscher)

HR2486—Infant Crib Safety Act—A bill to provide for infant crib safety. (Tauscher/Greenwood)

HR___ (not yet introduced)—Give a Child a Chance Omnibus Mental Health Bill—A bill to place more mental health and student service personnel (school counselors, social workers, or psychologists, and a school nurse) in the schools. The bill also specifies which academic qualifications are necessary for such professionals to be hired. The mental health personnel in the schools would provide assessment for mental health disorders that may be exhibited by a student. For a student that might require more in-depth treatment for serious disorders, the mental health professional would refer those students to an outside professional, with the permission of a parent or guardian. (Jackson-Lee)