WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) yesterday joined a bipartisan bicameral group in introducing 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.
The bill is the only bipartisan, bicameral legislation to support working families during their child’s first year. It is the product of more than a year of work to craft a bill that could pass with bipartisan support.
“As a working mother and grandmother, I understand the difficulties many families face when it comes to making adjustments during the first year of a child’s life,” Senator Capito said. “There is study after study that shows what a difference it makes in a child’s life to ease into the life of a family that a baby feels in these first several months of life that are very critical to their wellbeing. This legislation is the creative and flexible solution needed to address this issue, and I am confident that this will help many families in West Virginia and across the country create the best environment for their newborns.”
“No parent or family should struggle to raise their child, which is why I am proud to stand with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to introduce this bipartisan bill that will help working families cover the costs of raising a child. This bill would help West Virginian and American families by giving financial support without raising taxes or creating employer mandates. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation to support working families in West Virginia and across America,” said Senator Manchin.
Senator Capito participated in a press conference yesterday to announce the introduction of the legislation. Click here or the image above to watch.
Click here to view bill text, and click here to view section by section.
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