A Republican bill with no cosponsors
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Stop Child Care Scams Act of 2026" aims to reduce fraud in child care and nutrition programs. It requires the Secretary to withhold funds from noncompliant States and permanently debar providers found guilty of fraud. States must now include detailed integrity controls in their plans and submit corrective action plans if improper payment rates exceed 5 percent. The bill also establishes a three-year comprehensive review of State performance and mandates a GAO study on fraud prevention. Additionally, it removes the authority to waive certain sanctions.
Yes· 3 of 8
- Scored +7
Does this make the government pay for what it commits to?
Mandates corrective action plans for improper payment rates and improves oversight of federal funds.
- Scored +6
Does this give the federal government more power?
Increases the Secretary's authority to mandate fund withholding and permanently debar providers.
- Scored +5
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?
Protects families from fraudulent child care providers through permanent debarment of bad actors.
The opposite· 3 of 4
- Scored -6
Does this leave more decisions to the states?
Imposes stricter federal requirements on state plans and removes the authority to waive sanctions.
- Scored -3
Does this make it easier to run a small business?
Legitimate small child care providers may face increased administrative burdens due to stricter reporting and eligibility verification.
- Scored -2
Would business owners be better off under this?
Increases compliance burden and introduces severe penalties for fraud.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Accountability for Fraud: The bill mandates the permanent debarment of child care providers who make a final determination of fraud, which protects the program from dishonest operators (Section 4).
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Better State Oversight: States must now describe their internal controls, investigation processes for recovering fraudulent payments, and procedures to verify eligibility (Section 3).
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Performance Monitoring: The Secretary will conduct comprehensive reviews of State performance every three years to identify and provide additional monitoring for "high risk" States (Section 6).
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Evidence-Based Improvements: The GAO will conduct a study and report on the effectiveness of fraud prevention measures, providing recommendations to improve early childhood education and nutrition programs (Section 9).
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Stricter Payment Standards: States with improper payment rates over 5 percent must create a corrective action plan to reduce those errors (Section 5).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Loss of State Funding: States that fail to reduce improper payment rates to 5 percent or fail to make significant progress on corrective plans may become ineligible to receive funds (Section 5).
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Removal of Flexibility: The bill eliminates the authority to waive certain sanctions imposed on States, which removes a potential safety valve for States facing penalties (Section 8).
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Stricter Provider Penalties: Providers found to have committed fraud under one program, such as the Child and Adult Care Food Program, will be permanently barred from receiving assistance under the Child Care and Development Block Grant program (Section 4 and Section 7).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this make the government pay for what it commits to? — Mandates corrective action plans for improper payment rates and improves oversight of federal funds. Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices? — Protects families from fraudulent child care providers through permanent debarment of bad actors. Does this reduce what the federal government spends? — Stricter controls and the withholding of funds from noncompliant states may reduce improper government expenditures. Does this reduce what the federal government owes? — Reducing fraud in federal block grants saves taxpayer money and reduces waste. Does this make it easier to run a small business? — Legitimate small child care providers may face increased administrative burdens due to stricter reporting and eligibility verification.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this give the federal government more power? — Increases the Secretary's authority to mandate fund withholding and permanently debar providers. Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — Requires states to report improper payment rates and submit detailed integrity controls. Does this leave more decisions to the states? — Imposes stricter federal requirements on state plans and removes the authority to waive sanctions.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would children be better off under this? — Reduces the risk of children being placed in fraudulent or low-quality care centers. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Protects vulnerable families from fraud, though some may face reduced access if state funding is cut. Would business owners be better off under this? — Increases compliance burden and introduces severe penalties for fraud.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this make child care cost less? — Potential loss of state funding for noncompliant states could reduce available child care subsidies for families.
- 6/16/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.