WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Lynn Woolsey and child care research groups released reports at a press conference on Capitol Hill today announcing the importance of child care and work supports to help parents care for children. The reports from the Center for Economic and Policy Research and Institute for Women’s Policy Research highlight the need for H.R. 3780, “The Balancing Act,” that will help working mothers balance work and family life by improving access to safe and affordable child care, and providing paid leave.

Whether middle income or welfare recipient, America’s working mothers deserve reliable, affordable and available child care to help them provide for their families. But, instead of helping America’s families, “the Bush Administration has given tax cuts to the wealthy while cutting funds for child care and other programs that help working mothers balance the responsibilities of work and family life,” said Rep. Woolsey. “We must put children and families first.”

The following are Rep. Woolsey’s words as written for the press conference:

“Good morning. I want to thank Heather Boushey, of the Center for Economic and Policy Research , Vicky Lovell, of the Institute for Women's Policy Research, and Shaniqua Ballard, president of the Parent Council of the Nation's Capital Child and Family Development Center for being here with me today to discuss some of the most important issues facing American families. This weekend, Americans will honor their mothers. There will be candy, flowers, cards and special visits. Sons, daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will show their appreciation for everything mothers do the other 364 days of the year.

“But what will mothers get from their leaders and their government this year? Well, mothers whose families earn half a million dollars a year or more have received generous tax breaks from the Bush Administration. But what about the mothers who are barely able to balance the demands of work and family? What about the mothers who are one broken-down car or one unplanned pregnancy away from economic calamity? What about single mothers who can only afford to leave their children with unqualified caregivers while they go out and earn the only money that sustains their family?

“I think it’s about time Congress and the President of the United States backed up Mother’s Day rhetoric with real action. The first thing we can do and must do is provide safe, reliable, affordable child care options. And we can also offer paid leave in our workplaces, so that parents don’t have to choose between paying the bills and staying home with a sick child.

“This is at the heart of a new bill called “The Balancing Act,” H.R. 3780, that I recently introduced. The Balancing Act:

- Devotes more funding specifically for child care activities for children under three and children with disabilities.

- Provides construction and renovation grants to build new child care facilities and upgrade older ones.

- Gives subsidies to businesses to help them establish on-site employer-run child care centers.

- Offers partial or full wage replacement so businesses can offer paid leave to their employees who need to be home with a sick child.

- Invests in capable and qualified child care personnel with scholarships, training and health benefits.

“But there’s a lot more to the Balancing Act than child care and sick leave. Helping families keep their lives in balance requires a comprehensive plan that includes quality afterschool initiatives; enhanced child nutrition programs; universal voluntary pre-school; benefits for part-time workers; and, support and incentives for telecommuters. The Balancing Act relies on the ideas and contributions of many of my congressional colleagues, committed leaders like George Miller, Carolyn McCarthy, Carolyn Maloney and Dennis Kucinich, and I’d like to thank them all.

“These issues are of particular importance to me because I confronted them directly as a young parent. When I was 29 years old, my husband left me virtually penniless with three young children to raise. Although I was employed, I had to rely on public assistance for things like food, health insurance and child care. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t always stable – during one 12-month period we had 13 different child care arrangements.

“This was in the mid-1960s when being a single mother was both an economic burden and a social stigma. We’ve made some progress since then, but it’s amazing to me that here we are 35 years later…the economy and the family have changed radically…working mothers are the rule rather than the exception…but public policy still hasn’t caught up. We have little meaningful child care assistance; we have no paid leave; in fact, we have no respect for the challenges of raising a family today; we have no recognition that there is no more important job than parenting.

“Of course, the right wing still tries to gain political mileage out of supposedly being pro-family. Sure they’re pro-family, as long as your family is in the very highest income brackets, as long as you pray to their God and sign away your reproductive rights.

“But let’s say you’re a welfare recipient trying to find a job in this weak economy without health insurance or child care…or let’s say you’re a family with two mothers instead of one…the Bush Administration and their friends in Congress aren’t really interested in helping or recognizing your family.

But maybe I’m wrong. I want to read you something:

‘Many American families are now headed solely by women, and these women shoulder enormous responsibilities. For the good of their families and our Nation, we must strive to provide support and assistance to those mothers, such as, opportunities for training and employment; early childhood education for their young ones; and safe, affordable, and high-quality childcare.’

“That was from the Mother’s Day proclamation by President George W. Bush in May 2001. If he is true to that sentiment, then I have every confidence that he will endorse my Balancing Act legislation, lean on Republicans to pass it, and sign it in a Rose Garden ceremony. I look forward to being there with him.

“Thank you.”

Rep. Woolsey’s legislation “The Balancing Act” will help develop child care options that working Americans can trust and encourage employers to offer paid leave so parents can care for sick children while continuing to make ends meet. The legislation addresses the problems many parents face when seeking quality child care by increasing child care options for children under three and disabled children; encouraging businesses to provide child care for their employee’s families; improving teacher quality and retention; increasing the number of child care facilities and improving existing facilities nationwide. To help businesses offer paid leave, the “Balancing Act” helps states provide partial or full wage replacement so parents can care for a sick child.

Rep. Lynn Woolsey’s “Balancing Act” is a comprehensive bill that helps families balance the demands of professional life with the needs of family. If passed, it will provide benefits for part-time workers, paid leave for new parents, child care assistance, expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act, voluntary universal pre-school and increased availability of after-school programs and increased telecommuting options.