Representatives Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA), Susie Lee (D-NV), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), and Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI) today introduced the Child Care Modernization Act, bicameral, bipartisan legislation designed to strengthen the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program and better support the child care needs of working families across the country today. An identical bill was introduced last year in the Senate by Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), and Susan Collins (R-ME).
“Child care continues to shape the daily decisions of working families, influencing when and where parents can work and how they plan for the future,” said Sarah Rittling, Executive Director of First Five Years Fund. “The Child Care Modernization Act provides an important opportunity to strengthen and sustain the child care sector while helping states better address child care needs in real time. Families can’t press pause on their child care needs, and this legislation helps expand child care options and respond to families’ needs today. We’re so grateful to Representatives Ryan Mackenzie, Susie Lee, Ashley Hinson, and Kristen McDonald Rivet for their bipartisan leadership and commitment to working together to expand child care options for families.”
“Parents are doing everything right and still struggling to find and afford child care,” said Congresswoman McDonald Rivet (D-MI). “This bill helps by cutting red tape, supporting child care providers, and giving families more choices. It won’t solve the whole problem, but it’s a step in the right direction. We need to keep pushing for the investments and reforms that working families deserve.”