Jon Tester: “I wish to talk about two amendments I will call up on S. 1086, the child care and development block grant bill. The…”

“I wish to talk about two amendments I will call up on S. 1086, the child care and development block grant bill. The first one I will speak to is amendment No. 2834, which Senator Murkowski and I are offering in relation to tribal childcare facilities. As my colleagues know, I recently took over as chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and 2 weeks ago I held my first hearing. This hearing focused on early childhood development and education in Indian Country. This hearing was timely, as some of the testimony the committee received related to the child care and development block grant. At that hearing a childcare program director from the White Earth Nation--who is also the chair of the National Indian Child Care Association--testified about the needs of her program and the needs of all Indian childcare providers. One of the needs she highlighted was improving the condition of tribal childcare facilities in Indian Country. According to the Administration for Children and Families, of the 260 Indian tribe or tribal organizations that receive CCDBG funds, only 14 of them constructed new tribal childcare facilities in the last 10 years. In an effort to improve and replace facilities, my amendment allows tribes more flexibility in the use of their grant funds.…”