Legislation proposes support in first year following births, adoptions
The Ouachita Citizen
U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and U.S. Representatives Colin Allred (D-TX) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY) recently introduced legislation with resources to pay for leave and cover the cost of day care, baby supplies and other expenses associated with a new child.
The Advancing Support for Working Families Act would allow families the option to advance up to $5,000 of their recently-doubled child tax credit in the first year of a child’s life or the first year a family adopts a child. Families can also choose to advance their child credit without having to miss work or sacrifice a state or employer’s family/medical leave policy to pay for other expenses.
Most other paid leave proposals require parents to take off work to receive benefits, this bill allows teleworkers the option to access child care benefits and to continue working from home while they take care of their new child. Additionally, the bill does not raise taxes or take away from Social Security. Low income earners who do not qualify for the full refundable portion of the child tax credit can elect to receive a benefit adjusted to 100 percent wage replacement over 12 weeks of work.
Cosponsors are U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Shelley Capito (R-WV) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) and U.S. Representatives Joe Cunningham (D-SC), Jeff VanDrew (D-NJ), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Jamie Herrera-Beutler (R-WA), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) and Bryan Steil (R-WI).