Reps. Carol Miller (R-WV) and Linda Sánchez (D-CA) introduced the Child Care Supply Tax Credit Act on March 20, a bipartisan bill aimed at helping child care providers hire and retain qualified staff by establishing a new tax credit.
The legislation seeks to address the ongoing nationwide shortage of child care workers, which has led to higher costs for families and, in some cases, facility closures. The bill is intended to help providers offer more competitive wages without passing additional costs onto parents.
“Parents across the country continue to struggle with the rising costs of child care due to the industry’s workforce shortage. Attractive wages attract employees, and a large part of the cost of retaining the staff needed to adequately and safely care for the children is often passed on from the provider to the parents. Building on the increased Child Tax Credit and expansion of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit that were secured by the passage of the Working Families Tax Cuts last summer, I am happy to join my colleagues Rep. Sánchez and Senators Justice and Warner in introducing the Child Care Supply Tax Credit Act to go one step further in addressing rising childcare costs. By providing a tax credit to assist our providers in paying their staff, we can limit the costs being passed on to parents,” said Congresswoman Miller.
Congresswoman Sánchez said, “It’s ridiculous that it can be cheaper to send a child to college than to preschool. If we’re serious about supporting working families, we need to make child care more affordable and accessible. Our bill will help providers hire and retain qualified staff, so parents have reliable options for their young children without paying higher prices.”
Senators Jim Justice (R-WV) and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) introduced companion legislation in the Senate last year. Senator Justice said, “Childcare providers simply can’t afford to pay their workers enough without passing those high costs on to parents. Families in West Virginia and across the country are spending thousands of dollars just to secure reliable childcare – it must be addressed. By creating a targeted tax credit tied directly to caregiver wages, we can pay the people who take care of our kids what they deserve while giving our hard-working families some breathing room.” Senator Warner added, “From health care premiums to groceries to utility bills, life is only getting more and more expensive for American families, and for many, the math simply doesn’t work without affordable child care. Child care is the foundation that allows parents to earn a living while providing kids with the head start they deserve. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to address the workforce challenges contributing to our nation’s child care crisis.”
According to background information provided with this announcement, child care providers nationwide face resource constraints that limit their ability to offer competitive wages; recruitment and retention challenges have led some facilities even close; West Virginia alone needs an additional 20,000 childcare spots; this act would create a new tax credit for eligible providers specifically aimed at offsetting employee wage costs.
Carol Miller currently serves as U.S. Representative for West Virginia’s 1st district after replacing Evan Jenkins in 2019 according to her biography. She previously served in West Virginia’s House of Delegates from 2006 until her election as reported by Ballotpedia. Miller was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1950 and now lives in Huntington according biographical records. She graduated from Columbia College in South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1972 according Columbia College alumni records.
