Pascrell Speaks Loudly for Paid Leave

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), a senior member of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, participated in a committee hearing, “In Their Own Words: Paid Leave, Child Care, and an Economy that Failed Women.” In the discussion, committee members heard from working mothers in need of greater help and flexibility in raising families and Rep. Pascrell spoke out emphatically for paid leave.

Rep. Pascrell’s prepared remarks to the committee are provided below.

Rep. Pascrell Remarks on Paid Leave, Child Care, and an Economy that Failed Women

If we were not painfully aware during the last year of this pandemic, today’s testimony showed that child care and paid leave are essential.

New Jersey is one of just three states that has a paid family and medical leave law. Despite Congress providing some temporary paid leave options, too many families struggled to care for their children.

The pandemic completely crushed women in the workforce. 1.9 million women were forced out of their jobs since the beginning of the pandemic. Many working mothers have cut their hours or left work completely to care for their children.

Women more than doubled work absences related to child care from 2019 to 2020. And women accounted for 84 percent of all workers who missed work in an average month because of child care issues. These figures are a staggering indictment.

Even before COVID-19, access to quality and affordable child care was difficult. Over the last year, there has been a greater demand for child care workers. And yet with added pressure they are still paid minimum wage in most states.

These are essential workers. Nearly all of them are women and mainly women of color. They are not paid what they are worth. Many of those with child care and early education qualifications are taking their skills elsewhere.

A major child care provider in Passaic, New Jersey told me that, “relying on the funding from state subsidy reimbursement rates and private pay clients makes it a huge struggle to offer staff more than minimum wage. If we only look at our state-funded young preschool program, the hourly rate we are able to pay those teachers is low, at about $15/hr.

While we are trying to make significant changes starting with our FY2022 budget, the challenge is for those of us in low-income communities, we have no way to raise rates to be able to pay our staff more. The issue of providing a living wage is looming larger for us.”

The pandemic has reinforced and highlighted the need for universal paid leave and access to child care right now. Without guaranteed paid leave and child care, families will continue to feel the pain. The present conditions must change, and that change can start in our committee.

Rep. Pascrell is an original cosponsor of the FAMILY Act, which would set up federal, universal family and medical leave benefits. He is also an original cosponsor of the Child Care for Working Families Act, which would dramatically expand access to affordable, quality early learning programs. Pascrell is a cosponsor and strong supporter of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which prohibits employment practices that discriminate against making reasonable accommodations for qualified employees affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.

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