U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, along with Reps. Lauren Underwood, D-Illinois, Jim Baird, R-Indiana, and Tracey Mann, R-Kansas, this week introduced the Expanding Childcare in Rural America (ECRA) Act, which would lower the cost of child care in agricultural and rural communities while also improving its availability and quality, according to a news release from the office of Gluesenkamp Perez.
“Young families in rural communities like mine are strapped for options when it comes to finding childcare and have to drive for hours before and after work to drop their kids off and pick them up,” Gluesenkamp Perez said. “Where you live shouldn’t dictate whether or not your kid has a place to spend the day while you’re on the job, and our bipartisan bill would make it easier for working families in all of our communities to get the affordable childcare they need.”
The ECRA Act would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development to authorize and prioritize projects that address the availability, quality and cost of child care in agricultural and rural communities through the following programs:
• The Community Facilities Program offers direct loans, loan guarantees and grants to develop or improve essential public services and facilities in communities across rural America.
• Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant offers grants to eligible public bodies and private, nonprofit organizations to provide technical assistance and/or training in support of the essential community facilities program.
• The Business and Industry Loan Guarantee Program provides loan guarantees to commercial lenders for loans to eligible rural businesses.
• The Rural Business Development Grant Program is a competitive grant designed to support targeted technical assistance, training, and other activities leading to the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas that have fewer than 50 employees and less than $1 million in gross revenues, according to the release.
• The Rural Innovation Strong Economy Grant Program offers grant assistance to create and augment high-wage jobs, accelerate the formation of new businesses, support industry clusters and maximize the use of local productive assets in eligible low-income rural areas.
• The Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program provides loans and grants to Microenterprise Development Organizations to provide microloans for microenterprise startups and growth through a Rural Microloan Revolving Fund.
Full text of the bill can be found at tinyurl.com/4man994s.
