Davids Helps Lead Bipartisan, Bicameral Proposal to Make Child Care More Affordable

This week, Representative Sharice Davids helped lead a bipartisan, bicameral legislative package to make child care more affordable and accessible. The two bipartisan bills, known as the Child Care Availability and Affordability Act and the Child Care Workforce Act, would strengthen existing tax credits that lower child care costs and increase the supply of child care providers.

“Child care costs are skyrocketing, and too many families are struggling to find affordable, quality options,” said Davids. “That’s why I’m proud to be leading this bipartisan, bicameral child care package that will directly address these challenges. By modernizing tax incentives and creating new opportunities for the child care workforce, this legislation will ease the financial burden on parents and strengthen our local child care centers. This is a clear example of both parties coming together to prioritize working families and build stronger communities.”

To introduce the package, Davids was joined by Representatives Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24), Mike Lawler (R-NY-17), and Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06), as well as U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-AL) and Tim Kaine (D-VA). To make child care more affordable and boost the sector’s workforce, this package would:

• give businesses a bigger tax break for helping their employees pay for child care;
• let workers set aside more money from their paychecks, tax-free, to cover child care costs;
• help create more good child care programs by making sure child care workers get better pay.

Davids has worked diligently to bring down child care costs and improve child care access in Kansas. Earlier this year, she introduced the bipartisan Affordable Child Care Act, which doubles three different tax credits, putting money directly in parents’ pockets. Last year, she voted for legislation that would expand the Child Tax Credit, which benefits 136,000 children in Kansas. She also toured a local child care facility and visited multiple Head Start programs to highlight how federal investments have supported the workforce and daily operations of local child care small businesses and education centers.

Additional Member quotes:

"Families on the Central Coast share a common concern: the high cost and limited availability of child care. Many families either can’t find the care they need or simply can’t afford it. At the same time, businesses are facing hiring challenges due to the shortage of child care options. The lack of affordable child care is holding back both families and local economies,” said Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24). “That’s why I’m proud to introduce the Child Care Availability and Affordability Act and the Child Care Workforce Act, a bipartisan, bicameral child care package aimed at both modernizing tax programs to help families afford child care and strengthening the workforce.”

“I’m proud to be working in a bipartisan, bicameral way with Senators Kaine and Britt and Rep. Carbajal to expand the child and dependent care tax credit,” said Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY-17). “Putting more money back in the pockets of young working and middle-class families will help them achieve their financial goals, care for their kids, and provide a better future for all Americans.”

“This commonsense proposal is about more than just addressing our child care crisis - it is a direct investment in the hardworking families and local small businesses striving to achieve their American Dream across our nation. I’m proud of this effort to empower parents, which ultimately opens the door to more opportunities for their children and tackles our nation’s urgent workforce needs to help unleash a new era of American prosperity,” said Senator Katie Britt (R-AL). “Our legislation is pro-family, pro-Main Street, and pro-growth. We are sending a strong message to the American people that we can and will get the job done to improve the affordability and accessibility of quality child care.”

“The child care crisis is holding our families and economy back. I hear from Virginia parents all the time about how hard it is to find affordable child care, from child care providers who are forced to leave their jobs because of low wages, and from businesses who are having trouble finding the employees they need,” said Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA). “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan legislation, and I hope more of my colleagues will join us in passing this comprehensive proposal to support child care providers, make it easier for families to access the care they need, and boost economic growth by providing parents with the opportunity to get back into the workforce.”

“As a father of six, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to find convenient and affordable child care,” said Representative Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06). “The high cost of care and an ongoing workforce shortage is leading to a crisis in child care that is affecting families in southern Arizona, and across the U.S. I’m proud to join Rep. Carbajal in this bold, bipartisan solution that makes child care more accessible by strengthening existing tax credits to lower costs as well as addressing the workforce shortage.”