Duckworth helps introduce legislation to ensure families have access to affordable, quality child care

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) to help ensure low- and middle-income American families have access to affordable and high-quality child care. Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Representative Jared Polis (D-CO) have introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

“For most working parents, affordable child care isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity,” said Duckworth. “No parent should have to choose between sending their kids to daycare during the day and putting food on the table at night. That’s why this legislation is so important – it helps ensure that hardworking Americans have access to the child care they need to raise strong and healthy families.”

The Child Care for Working Families Act would create a partnership between federal and state governments to ensure families making less than 150 percent of their state’s median income do not spend more than seven percent of their income on child care services. This legislation also helps parents access high-quality preschool programs for low- and middle-income 3- and 4-year olds, in addition to improving access to resources and training for teachers and caregivers.

Other cosponsors in the Senate include U.S. Senators Hirono (D-HI), Franken (D-MN), Schumer (D-NY), Leahy (D-VT), Feinstein (D-CA), Wyden (D-OR), Durbin (D-IL), Menendez (D-NJ), Klobuchar (D-MN), Merkley (D-OR), Gillibrand (D-NY), Blumenthal (D-CT), Baldwin (D-WI), Murphy (D-CT), Heinrich (D-NM), Warren (D-MA), Markey (D-MA), Booker (D-NJ), Van Hollen (D-MD), Hassan (D-NH), Harris (D-CA), Reed (D-RI), Udall (D-NM), and Brown (D-OH). The Scott-Polis House companion legislation is cosponsored by 57 U.S. Representatives.

Duckworth has made working for children and families a top priority in the Senate. Earlier this year, she also introduced the Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools (CCAMPIS) Reauthorization Actto help increase access to on-campus child care for student parents, who make up more than one quarter of all college students in America.

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