FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Trone Press, Trone.Press@mail.house.gov

Trone Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Expand Access to Child Care for Working Families

WASHINGTON – Today, Representative David Trone (D-MD) announced that he teamed up with Representative Ashley Hinson (R-IA) and Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) in an effort to increase the availability of federal funding for child care development.

The ACCESS Act—or the Affordable Child Care for Economic Strategies and Success Act—would allow communities and public-private partnerships to use grants through the Department of Commerce to increase access to child care. Trone and Hinson introduced the House version of the legislation and Ernst introduced the Senate companion.

“Working families have had little to no reprieve from demands of work and child care, which are both full-time jobs,” said Representative Trone. “Increasing access to high-quality, affordable, accessible, and reliable child care through substantial infrastructure investments will help ease the burden on families and children and ultimately promote better mental health outcomes.”

“Many Iowans struggle to access quality child care options, particularly in rural communities. As we work to rebuild our economy, it is incredibly important that we prioritize expanding trustworthy child care options for working families in Iowa. My predecessor, Congresswoman Finkenauer, introduced this legislation in the 116th Congress alongside Senator Ernst, and I am glad to re-introduce this bipartisan bill with Congressman Trone and Senator Ernst this year,” said Representative Ashley Hinson.

“As so many Iowa parents know, our state faced a child care crisis even before the pandemic, and COVID has just made those challenges worse—especially in our most rural areas, like where I grew up and still live today,” said Senator Joni Ernst. “Now is the time to invest in Iowa’s child care industry so we can expand access to care for families across our state. By allowing for greater access to federal resources, this legislation will encourage more public-private partnerships to invest and grow child care options for Iowa’s working families.”

For bill text, click here.

Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Trone serves on the Appropriations, Veterans’ Affairs, and Joint Economic Committees in the 117th Congress and previously served on the Education and Labor and Foreign Affairs Committees. In Congress, Trone is fighting to make progress on issues that matter to Marylanders, including the mental health and addiction crises, criminal justice reform, and funding for medical research.

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