Child Care Integrity Monitoring Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 7722
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Families
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-04-06: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 508.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-11T23:41:32Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The Child Care Integrity Monitoring Act of 2026 (H.R. 7722) aims to strengthen oversight of state performance under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 by requiring regular, comprehensive reviews every three years. This ensures better accountability for how states manage federal child care funding.
Key Provisions
- Triennial Reviews: The Secretary (of Health and Human Services) must conduct a full performance review of each state receiving block grant funds every three years.
- High-Risk Designation: States are labeled "high risk" if they have:
- A high number of unresolved or repeated negative audit findings.
- Significant unresolved issues or repeated failures in corrective action plans (plans states submit to fix problems).
- Unresolved or repeated noncompliance with their approved state plan.
- Additional Monitoring: High-risk states face extra oversight, as decided by the Secretary.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Adds new subsections (c) and (d) to Section 658K of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990.
- Introduces mandatory cyclical monitoring (every three years), which was not previously required, shifting from ad-hoc audits to routine, comprehensive evaluations.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Increases workload for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in conducting reviews and monitoring; states may need to improve compliance to avoid high-risk status and extra scrutiny.
- Citizens: Could lead to higher-quality child care services for low-income families by addressing state-level problems like poor audits or noncompliance more systematically.
- No notable impacts on international relations.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- States: Primary recipients of block grant funds; face reviews, potential high-risk labels, and added monitoring.
- HHS/Secretary: Responsible for implementing reviews and designations.
- Child Care Providers and Families: Indirectly benefit from improved state accountability in subsidized child care programs.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Enhances federal accountability mechanisms for block grant programs without altering funding levels or state autonomy significantly.
- Aligns with existing federal oversight tools (e.g., audits and corrective plans) but standardizes them on a triennial cycle.
- No major constitutional concerns identified; reinforces conditional spending under federal grants, a common practice upheld by courts.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Onder, Robert F. [R-MO-3]
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2026-04-06: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 508.
- 2026-04-06: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and Workforce. H. Rept. 119-588.
- 2026-04-06: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and Workforce. H. Rept. 119-588.
- 2026-03-05: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 20 - 15.
- 2026-03-05: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- 2026-02-26: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
- 2026-02-26: Introduced in House
- 2026-02-26: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Child Care Integrity Monitoring Act — issued 2026-02-26 — PDF (2 pages)
- Child Care Integrity Monitoring Act of 2026 — issued 2026-04-06 — PDF (6 pages)