H.R. 9606 — Less Bureaucracy, Better Child Care for Student Parents Act

This section transfers to the Secretary of Health and Human Services all functions previously exercised by the Secretary of Education under section 419N of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070e), which provides grants to postsecondary institutions to support child care access for low-income student parents.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to exercise all authorities previously available to the Secretary of Education for performing functions under section 419N of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

This section transfers to the Department of Health and Human Services the personnel, assets, liabilities, contracts, property, records, and unexpended balances of appropriations connected to functions transferred under this Act. Unexpended funds must be used only for the purposes for which they were originally authorized and appropriated.

This section requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to ensure that the Act produces no net increase in full-time equivalent employees at affected Federal agencies, measured from the date of enactment. It authorizes the Director to determine which functions transfer under the Act, to make incidental transfers of personnel, assets, liabilities, contracts, property, and unexpended balances, and to certify compliance to the House Committee on Education and Workforce and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on the effective date.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to delegate functions transferred under this Act to designated officers and employees, with successive redelegations permitted unless otherwise prohibited by law. The Secretary remains responsible for administration of all delegated functions.

This section deems references to the Secretary of Education in any federal law, executive order, rule, regulation, delegation of authority, or related document to refer to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and references to the Department of Education to refer to the Department of Health and Human Services, for transferred functions.

This section preserves the validity of all orders, determinations, rules, permits, contracts, and other legal instruments issued before the transfer of functions from the Department of Education to the Department of Health and Human Services. It requires pending proceedings and suits to continue as if the transfer had not occurred, with the Secretary of Health and Human Services substituted as a party where the Secretary of Education was previously involved, and maintains existing administrative and judicial review procedures for the transferred functions.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to use, for a reasonable period after enactment, the personnel, assets, and appropriated funds of the Department of Education to facilitate the orderly transfer of functions under this Act.

This section provides that the Act takes effect 6 months after the date of enactment, except for section 9. It permits transfers of functions under section 2 or other provisions to begin on the date of enactment and continue through the effective date.