James M. Jeffords: “I join my good friend from Connecticut. We have been working for years to draw the attention of the public to the…”

“I join my good friend from Connecticut. We have been working for years to draw the attention of the public to the essential need that we pay more attention and provide help in the child care area. Each year we get the support of our Members. Each year we have successfully gotten agreements for billions of dollars of the budget, but the time is now to do something real. That is why we are here, to make sure we make a commitment, not only make a commitment but provide the funds to enable our society to be able to take advantage of all that can be done to make sure our children have an opportunity to participate in the best possible way in our society. This amendment will almost double the funds that provide low-income working families with the help they need. The amendment increases funding for the child care and development block grant from about $1.83 billion to $2 billion. This block grant has always been forward funded so no offset will be required. States are struggling to meet the escalating child care needs of low-income families, and they are transitioning off of welfare.”