Senate approves Burr’s bipartisan child care protection bill

The U.S. Senate on March 5 approved the bipartisan Child Care Protection Improvement Act of 2020, coauthored by U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC).

“I’m proud to see the Senate unanimously pass this important legislation to give working parents peace of mind and better safeguard our children,” said Sen. Burr last week following the Senate’s approval.

Sen. Burr sponsored S. 2683 in October 2019 with lead original cosponsor and bill coauthor U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) to establish an interagency task force, chaired by the Administration for Children and Families, to support states in conducting required criminal background checks for childcare staff members, according to the congressional record summary.

“Keeping our children safe from harm must always be a top priority,” Sen. Burr said. “This commonsense legislation enhances child safety by helping states meet the employment requirements Congress envisioned six years ago.”

In 2014, the senator championed the inclusion of criminal background check requirements for child care workers hired by providers that receive federal funding under the Child Care and Development Block Grant, according to information provided by his office. States must be in full compliance by Sept. 30.

Currently, only two states are in federal compliance with the background check requirements, according to the information, with the remaining states either on corrective action plans or issued penalty notices.

If enacted, the task force created under S. 2683 would help states meet the requirements via recommendations, best practices and technical assistance.

The measure, which now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration, has been endorsed by the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Early Care and Education Consortium, the First Five Years Fund, and KinderCare.