Bill > HR728

This bill proposes to expand the definition of "public assistance" in the Head Start Act to include several additional federal and state assistance programs. Specifically, it adds Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program, federal housing assistance, and other nutrition assistance programs like the Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) and Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) to the list of qualifying public assistance programs. By broadening the definition, the bill aims to make more families eligible for Head Start programs, which provide early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families. The bill would allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to include additional federal benefits as public assistance in the future, providing flexibility to expand program eligibility. The legislative change would be part of the existing Head Start Act and would take effect in 2025 if passed.

Education

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/728/all-info