PUBLIC LAW 104-106—FEB. 10, 1996 110 STAT. 333 "(2) in the case of other employees, shall be paid at rates of pay substantially equivalent to the rates of pay paid to other employees at that installation with similar training, seniority, and experience. "(d) EMPLOYMENT PREFERENCE PROGRAM FOR MILITARY SPOUSES. —(1) The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a program under which qualified spouses of members of the armed forces shall be given a preference in hiring for the position of child care employee in a position paid from nonappropriated funds if the spouse is among persons determined to be best qualified for the position. "(2) A spouse who is provided a preference under this subsection at a military child development center may not be precluded from obtaining another preference, in accordance with section 1794 of this title, in the same geographic area as the military child development center. "(e) COMPETITIVE SERVICE POSITION DEFINED.— In this section, the term 'competitive service position' means a position in the competitive service, as defined in section 2102(a)(1) of title 5. "§ 1793. Parent fees "(a) IN GENERAL. —The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations establishing fees to be charged parents for the attendance of children at military child development centers. Those regulations shall be uniform for the military departments and shall require that, in the case of children who attend the centers on a regular basis, the fees shall be based on family income. "(b) LOCAL WAIVER AUTHORITY. — The Secretary of Defense may provide authority to installation commanders, on a case-by-case basis, to establish fees for attendance of children at child development centers at rates lower than those prescribed under subsection (a) if the rates prescribed under subsection (a) are not competitive with rates at local non-military child development centers. "§ 1794. Child abuse prevention and safety at facilities " (a) CHILD ABUSE TASK FORCE.— The Secretary of Defense shall maintain a special task force to respond to allegations of widespread child abuse at a military installation. The task force shall be composed of personnel from appropriate disciplines, including, where appropriate, medicine, psychology, and childhood development. In the case of such allegations, the task force shall provide assistance to the commander of the installation, and to parents at the installation, in helping them to deal with such allegations. "(b) NATIONAL HOTLINE. —(1) The Secretary of Defense shall maintain a national telephone number for persons to use to report suspected child abuse or safety violations at a military child development center or family home day care site. The Secretary shall ensure that such reports may be made anonymously if so desired by the person making the report. The Secretary shall establish procedures for following up on complaints and information received over that number. "(2) The Secretary shall publicize the existence of the number. " (c) ASSISTANCE FROM LOCAL AUTHORITIES. —The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations requiring that, in a case of allegations of child abuse at a military child development center or family home day care site, the commander of the military installation or the head of the task force established under sub- Regulations. Public information. Regulations.
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