Small Business Child Care Investment Act

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Bill ID: 119/s/273
Last Updated: September 7, 2026

Sponsored by

Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV]

ID: R000608

Follow the money

The bill

Small Business Child Care Investment Act

S. 273, 119th Congress — read as touching For-Profit Education & Student Loans.

The sponsor

Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV]

Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.

The money

$127,000 raised

30 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.

The alignment

85% match to Project 2025

This bill's text tracks the "Federal Reserve" section, p. 776-779 of the Mandate for Leadership.

Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law

Track this bill's progress through the legislative process

Latest Action

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 9.

February 9, 2025

Introduced

📍 Current Status

Next: The bill will be reviewed by relevant committees who will debate, amend, and vote on it.

🏛️

Committee Review

🗳️

Floor Action

✅

Passed Senate

🏛️

House Review

🎉

Passed Congress

🖊️

Presidential Action

⚖️

Became Law

📚 How does a bill become a law?

1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.

2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.

3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.

4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.

5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.

6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.

7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!

Bill Summary

Another masterpiece of legislative theater, brought to you by the esteemed members of Congress. Let's dissect this farce, shall we?

**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The Small Business Child Care Investment Act (S 273) claims to allow nonprofit child care providers to participate in certain loan programs of the Small Business Administration (SBA). How noble. The real purpose, however, is to create a new trough for special interest groups to feed from.

**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill amends the Small Business Act to include nonprofit child care providers as eligible recipients of SBA loans and financings under Section 7(a). It also establishes specific requirements for these providers, such as compliance with licensing regulations, background checks, and non-discrimination policies. Oh, and let's not forget the obligatory nod to "religious freedom" – a clever way to ensure that some providers can still discriminate while receiving government funding.

**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects are involved:

* Nonprofit child care providers (the supposed beneficiaries) * The SBA (which will administer the loans and financings) * Banks, certified development companies, and other financial institutions (which will participate in the loan programs) * Lobbyists and special interest groups (who will reap the benefits of this new funding stream)

**Potential Impact & Implications:** This bill is a classic case of "follow the money." By expanding SBA loan eligibility to nonprofit child care providers, Congress is creating a new avenue for these organizations to access government funds. This will likely lead to:

* Increased costs for taxpayers (as the government guarantees more loans) * Greater influence for special interest groups (who will lobby for favorable treatment and funding) * Potential misallocation of resources (as some providers may not be as deserving or effective as others)

In short, this bill is a symptom of a deeper disease: the insatiable appetite of politicians to curry favor with special interests and expand government control. It's a cynical ploy to buy votes and influence, masquerading as a benevolent effort to support child care providers.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do than watch this legislative charade unfold.

Related Topics

Small Business & Entrepreneurship
Generated using Llama 3.1 70B (Dr. Haus personality)

💰 Campaign Finance Network

Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions
$127,000
17 donors
PACs
$0
Organizations
$49,800
Committees
$0
Individuals
$77,200

No PAC contributions found

1
POARCH BAND OF CREEK INDIANS
3 transactions
$8,600
2
PUYALLUP TRIBE OF INDIANS
3 transactions
$7,000
3
SEMINOLE TRIBE OF FLORIDA
2 transactions
$6,600
4
FEDERATED INDIANS OF GRATON RANCHERIA
2 transactions
$6,600
5
CHEROKEE NATION
2 transactions
$5,300
6
SYUCAN BAND OF THE KUMEYAAY NATION
1 transaction
$3,300
7
MATCH-E-BE-NASH-SHE-WISH BAND OF POTTAWATOMI INDIANS
1 transaction
$3,300
8
CHICKASAW NATION
3 transactions
$3,100
9
RENO-SPARKS INDIAN COLONY
1 transaction
$2,500
10
MORONGO BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
1 transaction
$1,000
11
SANTA YNEZ BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
1 transaction
$1,000
12
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
1 transaction
$1,000
13
TAHOE LAND AND DEVELOPMENT
1 transaction
$500

No committee contributions found

1
SECUNDA, TOM
4 transactions
$50,800
2
MERRIN, SETH
2 transactions
$13,200
3
JONES, J.
1 transaction
$6,600
4
JONES, J. RANDALL
1 transaction
$6,600

Cosponsors & Their Campaign Finance

This bill has 3 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.

Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]

ID: E000295

Top Contributors

23

1
SAC & FOX TRIBE OF MISSISSIPPI IN IOWA
OrganizationTAMA, IA
$5,000
Aug 29, 2023
2
SAC & FOX TRIBE OF MISSISSIPPI IN IOWA
OrganizationTAMA, IA
$1,700
Sep 28, 2023
3
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
OrganizationPRIOR LAKE, MN
$1,000
May 21, 2024
4
ABEL, ANDREA MS.
HOMEMAKER • HOMEMAKER
IndividualDES MOINES, IA
$50,000
Feb 7, 2023
5
MCINERNEY, THOMAS E. MR.
BLUFF POINT ASSOC. CORPORATION • VENTURE INVESTOR
IndividualWESTPORT, CT
$50,000
Feb 22, 2023
6
NICOLLS, BOB MR.
MONARCH • REAL ESTATE
IndividualFRANKTOWN, CO
$25,000
Mar 17, 2023
7
GRAY, C. BOYDEN
SELF-EMPLOYED • ATTORNEY
IndividualWASHINGTON, DC
$25,000
Mar 29, 2023
8
CATSIMATIDIS, JOHN A. MR.
UNITED REFINING COMPANY • CHARIMAN & CEO
IndividualNEW YORK, NY
$25,000
May 16, 2023
9
KOTICK, ROBERT MR.
ACTIVISION BLIZZARD • CEO
IndividualSANTA MONICA, CA
$16,600
Dec 20, 2024
10
VINCZE, CHRISTOPHER
TRC COMPANIES INC. • CHAIRMAN AND CEO
IndividualTEQUESTA, FL
$15,800
Nov 6, 2023

Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID]

ID: R000584

Top Contributors

21

1
CRW RESOURCES
OrganizationCOEUR D ALENE, ID
$1,000
Feb 29, 2024
2
SNELL, PETER
ARBELLA CAPITAL • REAL EATATE
IndividualARLINGTON, VA
$5,000
May 8, 2024
3
KAYALI, ZEID
SELF • PHYSICIAN
IndividualPASADENA, CA
$3,500
Feb 9, 2023
4
MOORE, JEFFREY
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualLAS VEGAS, NV
$3,435
Nov 19, 2024
5
KTELEH, TAREK
RHEUMATOLOGY • DOCTOR
IndividualFISHERS, IN
$3,300
Dec 23, 2024
6
ALAAMA, ABDUL M.D.
SELF • GASTROENTEROLOGY
IndividualWHITTIER, CA
$3,300
Feb 9, 2023
7
ASHOURI, DIANA
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA • PHYSICIAN
IndividualPASADENA, CA
$3,300
Feb 9, 2023
8
DIAB, MOHAMED KHEIR
MASIMO CORPORATION • DIRECTOR
IndividualLADERA RANCH, CA
$3,300
Feb 9, 2023
9
MOUJTAHED, SAED
OWL REXALL INFUSION • DIRECTOR
IndividualTRABUCO CANYON, CA
$3,300
Feb 9, 2023
10
MONSEN, MARION F
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualSUN VALLEY, ID
$3,300
Sep 6, 2023

Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]

ID: W000805

Top Contributors

23

1
AMERICAN HEALTHCARE, LLC
OrganizationROANOKE, VA
$5,300
Sep 25, 2024
2
CHOCTAW NATION OF OKLAHOMA
OrganizationDURANT, OK
$600
Sep 28, 2023
3
CHOCTAW NATION OF OKLAHOMA
OrganizationDURANT, OK
$400
Sep 28, 2023
4
DEKKER, DAVID T.
PILLSBURY • VICE CHAIR
IndividualBETHESDA, MD
$9,900
Dec 31, 2024
5
TULL, THOMAS
TULCO • CEO
IndividualLOS ANGELES, CA
$6,000
Nov 21, 2024
6
SWARTZ, SUSAN
SELF EMPLOYED • ARTIST
IndividualPARK CITY, UT
$3,300
Jul 31, 2023
7
MATNEY, JOHN
RAPOCA ENERGY COMPANY • PARTNER
IndividualBRISTOL, VA
$3,300
Aug 29, 2023
8
MILLONES, PETER
BOOKING HOLDINGS INC. • ATTORNEY
IndividualDARIEN, CT
$3,300
Sep 29, 2023
9
MATNEY, JUSTIN K
SELF EMPLOYED • BUSINESS OWNER
IndividualBRISTOL, VA
$3,300
Aug 29, 2023
10
MATNEY, JOHN
RAPOCA ENERGY COMPANY • PARTNER
IndividualBRISTOL, VA
$3,300
Aug 29, 2023

Donor Network - Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV]

PACs
Organizations
Individuals
Politicians

Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.

Loading...

Showing 53 nodes and 76 connections

Total contributions: $76

Top Donors - Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV]

Showing top 17 donors by contribution amount

13 Orgs4 Individuals

Industry Impact

Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 1 harmed.

  • Section 2(a)(10)(C)(ii) prohibits use of loan proceeds for religious activity protected under the First Amendment, which could affect for-profit education providers that incorporate religious instruction, imposing a cost/limitation on their eligibility for funds.

Who funds the sponsor on these industries

For each industry this bill affects, here's what the sponsor (Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV])received from donors associated with that industry during the 2022–present cycles. Donations are not proof of intent — they are a record of who funds the people writing the law.

Industries this bill HARMS

Project 2025 Policy Matches

This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document.AI-enhanced analysis provides detailed alignment ratings.

Federal Reserve

Strong
Vector: 72%
Pages: 776-779AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill expands SBA loan access to nonprofit child care providers while requiring loans to be made through private lenders and imposing guarantees for larger loans, which aligns with Project 2025's emphasis on reforming SBA to reduce waste/fraud by using private-lender models and maintaining accountability."

Key themes:SBA loan programsprivate lender involvementfraud/waste reductionsupport for small businesseslimiting direct government lending

— 745 — 25 SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Karen Kerrigan MISSION STATEMENT The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) supports U.S. entrepreneurship and small business growth by strengthening free enterprise through policy advo- cacy and facilitating programs that help entrepreneurs to launch and grow their businesses and compete effectively in the global marketplace. OVERVIEW Created almost 70 years ago, the SBA was launched under the Small Business Act with a mission to “aid, counsel, assist and protect, insofar as is possible, the interests of small business concerns.”1 According to its current mission statement: The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) helps Americans start, grow, and build resilient businesses. SBA was created in 1953 as an independent agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns; preserve free competitive enterprise; and maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation.2 The SBA’s founding mission has evolved over time as programs have been expanded or implemented, subject to the philosophical grounding of each Admin- istration as well as assorted economic challenges and the occurrence of natural disasters. Because of its distinct role in the federal government, the SBA became — 746 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise the default agency for providing disaster loans to small businesses, homeowners, renters, and organizations. As a result, hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars have been funneled through the agency to businesses and individuals over the years. Some SBA programs are effective; others are not. The largest program in SBA’s history, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), has been credited with saving millions of jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.3 A conservative Administration would rightly focus on saving small businesses during such a crisis. At the same time, however, various SBA programs have generated waste, fraud, and misman- agement of taxpayer dollars. For example, and more recently, more than $1 trillion in COVID-19 relief was distributed through the SBA.4 The SBA’s EIDL (Economic Injury Disaster Loan) Advance program in particular shows the dangers that can come with direct government lending. EIDL Advance provided direct cash grants and loans to small businesses. The SBA Office of Inspector General “identified $78.1 billion in potentially fraudulent EIDL loans and grants paid to ineligible entities,”5 which represented more than half of all funds spent through the program. Although PPP worked through private lenders and as a result experienced relatively less fraud than EIDL experienced, it is estimated “that at least 70,000 [PPP] loans were potentially fraudulent.”6 ORIGIN, HISTORY, AND CORE FUNCTIONS In 1954, the agency began to execute such core functions as “making and guaranteeing loans for small businesses,” “ensuring that small businesses earn a ‘fair proportion’ of government contracts and sales of surplus property,” and “provid[ing] business owners with management and business training.”7 In 1970, President Richard Nixon’s Executive Order 11518 enhanced the agen- cy’s advocacy role by providing for the “increased representation of the interests of small business concerns before departments and agencies of the United States Government.”8 This advocacy role was strengthened with the adoption of the Small Business Amendments of 1974,9 which established the Chief Counsel for Advocacy, and was then reinforced and expanded in 1976 with the creation of the Office of Advocacy, providing additional resources to ensure that small businesses had a voice in the regulatory process. In 1980, the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA)10 further strengthened the Office of Advocacy’s role, providing accountability across federal agencies to ensure that they considered the impact of their rulemakings on small businesses. The RFA requires federal agencies “to consider the effects of their regulations on small businesses and other small entities,”11 and the Office of Advocacy is charged with ensuring that federal agencies abide by the law and is required to provide an annual report to the President and the Senate and House Committees on Small Business.12 In addition, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act (TFTEA) of 201613

Small Business Administration

Moderate
Vector: 73%
Pages: 789-791AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill aligns with Project 2025's focus on expanding SBA capital access programs to underserved sectors, particularly by extending 7(a) loan eligibility to nonprofit child care providers—a group not traditionally served by SBA's venture-capital-oriented lending. While Project 2025 emphasizes redirecting SBA support toward capital-intensive industries like manufacturing, this bill supports a similar goal of broadening SBA's reach to sectors lacking adequate private financing, albeit in the soci"

Key themes:SBA loan program expansioncapital access for underserved sectorsfinancial support for small/niche businessesreform of SBA lending criteria

— 757 — Small Business Administration largely duplicates private-sector venture capital to the extent that the sector receiving much of its support is software and information technology, which already receive the lion’s share of venture capital investment.65 In addition, Congress should reform the SBIC program to make its financing more favorable to capital-intense investments and small manufacturers. The Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools (HEALS) Act, introduced in 2020,66 and American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, introduced in 2021,67 would allow SBIC to offer longer-term financing to manufacturers and make the program more fiscally sustainable. Small-Business Size Standard Modernization. Many small-business pro- grams both inside and outside the SBA use the SBA’s definition of “small business.” Under the Small Business Act, the SBA is tasked with defining what counts as a small business and ensuring that the definition varies from industry to industry to reflect differences in regular size by industry. However, the SBA’s small-business size standards reflect a one-size-fits-all approach under which all businesses within its size standard are considered small businesses for all eligible purposes, from gov- ernment contracting preferences to eligibility for SBA loans through private banks. At the same time, the SBA is an outlier among competing economies in not considering medium-sized enterprises along with small businesses, often referred to collectively as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Medium-sized and regional businesses are increasingly critical to maintaining competition. The next Administration should: l Encourage Congress to create a “medium-sized business” classification with its eligibility for programs confined to access to capital programs from projects for which credit elsewhere does not exist. SBA POLICY PRIORITIES FOR 2025 AND BEYOND Legislation. The new Administration can support SBA reform legislation pro- posed in Congress that aligns with key measures outlined in this chapter. It also can support legislative initiatives that would help SBA to focus on its core statutory activities such as capital access, federal contracting opportunities, and regulatory advocacy. For example: l The IMPROVE the SBA Act68 would strengthen accountability, transparency, and oversight of the SBA and aligns with many of the reforms outlined in this chapter. — 758 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise l The Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act69 would require federal agencies to perform more thorough RFA economic analysis and provide a rationale for proposed regulations. It also would waive fines for certain first-time paperwork violations. l The Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act70 (SBREFA) panel process allows small businesses to provide input on agency rulemakings, gives participating small businesses greater procedural rights, and allows for judicial review of agency violations of the SBREFA panel process. SBREFA panel requirements should be extended to all federal agencies. l The Fair and Open Competition Act71 would disallow the use of project labor agreements (PLAs) in federal contracting as required in President Biden’s Executive Order 14063,72 which puts small businesses at a competitive disadvantage and works against the SBA’s governmentwide contracting goal for small businesses. l The JOBS Act 4.073 would advance regulatory improvements and modernization of various Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules to enhance capital formation and access. ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES AND BUDGET Administrator and Key Staff. The position of Administrator should not be considered a symbolic or messaging-related position as some past Administrations have viewed it. Rather, the Administrator should have the requisite experience, skills, and knowledge to ensure that the SBA fulfills its statutory authorities. Because much of the SBA’s statutory authority relates to financing and reg- ulatory policy, and in order to make the SBA a more effective agency within the Administration, the Administrator and his or her key staff should have experience in small-business finance and investment and/or administrative law. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the SBA was often forced to outsource key deci- sions and administrative follow-through to the Department of the Treasury. The SBA Administrator and leadership team must share the President’s mission and vision and execute the Administration’s policies effectively. Budget The next Administration should undertake a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of its various loan and grant programs and provide a report to Congress within six months. The report should rank programs by cost-effective- ness. In the interim, the roughly $1 billion overall agency budget should be held constant until the report is considered, after which Congress should terminate

Small Business Administration

Moderate
Vector: 71%
Pages: 783-785AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill aligns with Project 2025's goal of strengthening the SBA's ability to serve small businesses by expanding access to capital for nonprofit child care providers, though it does not directly address accountability, technology modernization, or Office of Advocacy reforms emphasized in the policy."

Key themes:Small Business Administrationaccess to capitalsmall business supportloan programsnonprofit eligibility

— 751 — Small Business Administration implement relevant initiatives to reach small businesses. Programs would be nonduplicative and implemented on a first-come, first-served basis. l A modern, revamped, and streamlined SBA that better utilizes current technology and platforms for operations, for reporting, and in its programs to reach, service, and engage small businesses. l An Office of Advocacy that is strengthened by a renewed mandate and additional resources to protect against overregulation along with a research agenda that includes measuring the total cost that federal regulation imposes on small businesses. Accountability and Managerial Practice. The SBA lacks accountability and managerial practices to measure the effectiveness, success, and integrity of its various programs. As a future Administration evaluates agency structure and the particulars of how the SBA is spending appropriated funds, it should immediately require actions and procedures to compel a culture of accountability and perfor- mance. Specifically: l Require performance metrics and internal procedures to safeguard taxpayer dollars and program integrity. As noted in an October 2022 IG report, failure to adopt procedures that would reliably capture data and information for various programs, coupled with significant challenges and weaknesses regarding IT investments, systems development, and security controls, presents significant risks to program integrity and increased risk of waste, fraud, and abuse.34 Addressing these shortcomings and risks should be a priority challenge and action item for the next Administration. As underscored by the Inspector General in his introduction to the report, “Pandemic response has, in many instances, magnified the challenging systemic issues in SBA’s mission-related work.”35 l Review all internal government watchdog recommendations and require that SBA management implement or address outstanding and ongoing OIG and GAO recommendations within a specified time frame (ideally within 90 days of a recommendation) and on an ongoing basis. Strengthening the Office of Advocacy. The SBA Office of Advocacy (Advo- cacy) is “an independent office” within the SBA.36 It accounts for about one one-thousandth of SBA spending and 0.75 percent of SBA personnel. Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act, both under its current authority and with suggested — 752 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise reforms, the Office of Advocacy could be a powerful weapon against the adminis- trative state’s regulatory extremism. l Amend the RFA so that all agencies are required to provide a copy of any proposed rule (other than bona fide emergency rules) along with initial regulatory flexibility analysis to the Office of Advocacy at least 60 days before a notice of proposed rulemaking is submitted for publication in the Federal Register. The Office of Advocacy would submit comments to agencies within 30 days, and each agency would have to consider these comments, make changes in the proposed rule based on those comments, or explain in a revised regulatory flexibility analysis why it chose not to change the proposed rule. The Office of Advocacy’s pre-proposing comments would be published on the agencies’ and its own websites. RFA economic analysis should be expanded to include indirect costs along with direct costs. In addition, the next Administration should require other agencies to seek Advocacy’s input. Currently, other agencies deny Advocacy the ability to enforce their duty to consider the effect of regulations on small entities by construing their regulations as not having significant economic impact, which would otherwise serve as a trigger for Advocacy’s input. Congress should presumptively exempt small businesses from new agency rules to force agencies to seek Advocacy’s input and permit new rules to apply to small businesses only with Advocacy signoff under specified criteria. l Increase the Office of Advocacy’s budget by at least 50 percent ($4.6 million). This would allow Advocacy to hire approximately 25 attorneys, economists, and scientists and enhance its role in the regulatory process. l Explicitly direct federal agencies to comply with the RFA. This would be similar to the approach adopted by President Trump in his January and February 2017 executive orders directing agencies to relieve the cost and burden of regulation on business.37 Advocacy should organize regional roundtables, onsite small-business visits, and an online platform to hear directly from small businesses and entities as it did from June 2017 through September 2018.38 This activity produced 26 letters to federal agencies and highlighted specific regulations that need reform and how Congress had addressed the most burdensome rules through the Congressional Review Act.39

Showing 3 of 5 policy matches

About These Correlations

Policy matches are calculated using a hybrid approach: initial candidates are found using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text, then an AI model (Llama 3.1 70B) provides detailed alignment ratings and analysis. Ratings range from 1 (minimal alignment) to 5 (very strong alignment). This analysis does not imply direct causation or intent.

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