Statement of Donna E. Shalala On the Child Care Improvement Act of 1999

HHS News Release

"I am extremely pleased that Reps. Tauscher and Cardin and their colleagues are introducing legislation today that addresses the child care needs of low and moderate income working families. The Child Care Improvement Act of 1999, sponsored by Rep. Cardin, and the Affordable Child Care, Education, and Security Act (ACCESS), sponsored by Rep. Tauscher and others, are comprehensive bills that address the primary child care concerns of America's families. These proposals embody the core elements of the child care initiative included in the President's FY 2000 budget.

for California

"When it comes to addressing the needs of America's working families, we must begin with child care. Because whenever I talk with working parents, the conversation inevitably turns to their child care concerns. Consistently, they tell me that the three biggest child care headaches are: Can I find it? Can I afford it? Can I trust it? That's why the President proposed his child care initiative, the largest single investment in child care in our nation's history. The initiative will help answer those questions by creating more care, by providing greater tax relief for working parents, and by improving the quality of care. It will also give child care a giant booster shot.

"Of course, child care is more than a family concern, and it's more than a community concern. It's a national concern, because today's children will define our nation's course and determine its greatness. Fortunately, leaders like Reps. Tauscher and Cardin, and many of their colleagues, understand this. They know that child care is not a nagging, personal expense, but a fundamental national investment.

"These bills will help parents pay for child care, and they will assist states, communities and employers to improve the safety and quality of care. In other words, they will help families find, afford and trust child care. But because we believe that all parents deserve help, these bills also provide new tax relief for parents who choose to stay at home and care for their children.

"These proposals, like the President's initiative, are not only an investment in child care. They are an investment in America's families, in America's future and in the possibility and potential of every child. Parents should never have to choose between being a good worker and a good parent. I urge all members of the 106th Congress to join together in a bipartisan fashion to enact child care legislation this year, and help America's working families."

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Contact: Michael Kharfen, (202) 401-9215