Cutting Red Tape on Child Care Providers Act of 2025

Bill Number

H.R. 1889

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 1

Policy Area

Families

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2025-03-05: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Last Updated

2025-12-19T09:07:13Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose

The "Cutting Red Tape on Child Care Providers Act of 2025" aims to reduce regulatory barriers for child care providers by allowing them to perform basic preparation of fresh fruits and vegetables. This supports better nutrition for children in child care settings and helps address the decline in home-based child care options, particularly for low-income, rural, and shift-working families.

Key Provisions

• Findings Section: Congress highlights the importance of access to fresh, minimally processed fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds for child development. It notes that current restrictions on food preparation limit providers' ability to serve healthy foods, contribute to the decline of home-based child care (which serves about 25% of families), and make it easier to offer ultra-processed snacks than simple items like a peeled banana. Simplifying rules could improve child nutrition.
• Definitions: Defines "simple food preparation" as basic actions like washing, peeling, cutting, and serving raw or minimally processed fruits and vegetables.
• Core Requirement: States receiving grants under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (CCDBG) must not impose any barriers preventing licensed or license-exempt child care facilities from performing simple food preparation of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Amends Section 658E(c)(2)(F) of the CCDBG Act (42 U.S.C. 9858c(2)(F)) by adding a new clause (iii) that explicitly prohibits states from creating barriers to simple preparation of fresh produce in child care facilities.
• This is a targeted addition to existing health and safety standards under CCDBG, which previously allowed states flexibility in regulating food preparation but did not specifically address or protect simple fruit and vegetable handling.

Potential Impacts

• On Government Agencies: States administering CCDBG grants (federal funding for child care subsidies and quality improvements) must revise policies to comply, potentially reducing administrative burdens related to overly strict food rules. Federal oversight may increase to ensure enforcement.
• On Citizens: Child care providers gain flexibility to offer healthier snacks, potentially improving children's nutritional intake. Families, especially low-income, rural, or non-traditional hour workers, may benefit from more sustainable home-based child care options, increasing access and affordability.
• On International Relations: No direct impacts, as this is a domestic child care and nutrition policy.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• Child Care Providers: Licensed and license-exempt facilities, particularly home- and family-based ones, who face fewer restrictions on daily food prep.
• States and Local Governments: Recipients of CCDBG grants required to align regulations with the new prohibition.
• Children and Families: Especially those in subsidized care, low-income households, rural areas, and families needing non-standard hours, who gain better nutrition and more child care choices.
• Federal Agencies: Such as the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees CCDBG implementation.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: Strengthens federal oversight of state child care regulations by tying grant compliance to specific freedoms in food preparation, potentially leading to legal challenges if states view it as infringing on their regulatory authority (though CCDBG already conditions grants on federal standards).
• Constitutional: Aligns with federal spending power under the Constitution (Article I, Section 8), as it conditions federal funds on state actions without directly mandating changes for non-recipient states; no apparent First Amendment or due process issues.
• Political: Addresses bipartisan concerns over regulatory overreach and child nutrition, potentially appealing to rural and working-family constituencies. It could influence broader debates on reducing "red tape" in social services while promoting public health goals like reducing processed food reliance.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp [D-WA-3]

Cosponsors (8)

Rep. Foxx, Virginia [R-NC-5], Rep. Kim, Young [R-CA-40], Rep. Gray, Adam [D-CA-13], Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5], Rep. Nunn, Zachary [R-IA-3], Rep. Golden, Jared F. [D-ME-2], Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46], Rep. Bresnahan, Robert P. [R-PA-8]

Recent Actions

• 2025-03-05: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
• 2025-03-05: Introduced in House
• 2025-03-05: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

• Cutting Red Tape on Child Care Providers Act of 2025 — issued 2025-03-05 — PDF (3 pages)