From October 20, 2022 post.
Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member of the Finance Committee, and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a senior member of the Small Business Committee, today hosted a roundtable with business leaders to discuss the critical need for child care in communities across Iowa. During the roundtable, Grassley and Ernst highlighted their new bipartisan Childcare DESERTS Act, which would expand access to child care for small businesses and their employees. Grassley also discussed a proposal he helped introduce earlier this year, the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Reauthorization Act, which seeks to improve child care affordability.
“During my 99 county meetings and in discussions with my Women’s Advisory Council, I’ve heard from many Iowans who have struggled to find quality and affordable child care. It has become even more difficult due to the workforce shortage. Additionally, with inflation hovering around a 40-year high, the last thing Iowa families should have to worry about is being able to afford care for their children. I’ll continue working on policies to support families and remove barriers to care,” Grassley said.
“As we heard from Iowa business owners today, the lack of affordable, quality childcare has created major barriers for our families, communities, and small businesses,” Ernst said. “The Childcare DESERTS Act will empower small businesses to provide their employees with access to childcare – supporting Iowa families while boosting our local economies.”
According to a report by the Des Moines Register, the number of child care facilities in Iowa has decreased, while costs for care have increased. There are roughly three children per every one child care slot in Iowa.
In an effort to address this issue, Grassley and Ernst introduced the bipartisan Childcare DESERTS Act, which would allow small businesses to provide child care services to their employees by utilizing capital access loan programs through the Small Business Administration (SBA). The bill is supported by the Iowa Bankers Association, the Iowa Business Growth Company and the First Five Years Fund (FFYF).
In March, Grassley joined Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-N.C.) to introduce the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Reauthorization Act of 2022. Their proposal builds on 30 years of bipartisan work to expand options and improve affordability – without creating new federal government mandates and regulations.
Original source can be found here
