[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 153 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 153

  Recognizing the roles and the contributions of care workers in the 
United States and expressing support for the designation of April 2023 
                 as ``Care Worker Recognition Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 30, 2023

   Mr. Casey (for himself, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Sanders, Ms. 
Hassan, Mr. Markey, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Padilla, 
 Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Fetterman, Ms. Smith, Ms. Warren, Ms. Duckworth, 
Mr. Lujan, and Mr. Brown) submitted the following resolution; which was 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Recognizing the roles and the contributions of care workers in the 
United States and expressing support for the designation of April 2023 
                 as ``Care Worker Recognition Month''.

Whereas there is a growing need on the part of families for care, from childcare 
        to support for older adults and individuals with chronic illnesses or 
        disabilities;
Whereas childcare workers provide the essential service of taking care of a 
        child's basic needs while fostering a child's early emotional, social, 
        and intellectual development;
Whereas direct care workers allow older adults, individuals with disabilities, 
        and children with complex medical needs to remain in their homes and 
        communities and live healthy, independent, and dignified lives by 
        providing support with critical daily tasks, such as eating, dressing, 
        and personal hygiene;
Whereas investment in care workers is vital to labor force participation and a 
        strong economy;
Whereas care workers give family caregivers the assurance that their homes are 
        being looked after and that their children, parents, and loved ones are 
        in the hands of professionals;
Whereas care work is an industry that particularly benefits women, who account 
        for the majority of the care workforce, and that allows other women to 
        participate in the labor force;
Whereas access to childcare and home and community-based care helps families 
        boost their economic stability by working increased hours, taking fewer 
        days off, and pursuing opportunities to advance their education and 
        careers;
Whereas, when families are forced out of the labor market due to caregiving 
        responsibilities, they will experience diminished income, access to 
        benefits, and retirement savings over their lifetimes;
Whereas children who receive high-quality childcare are healthier, more likely 
        to graduate from college, and more likely to have higher incomes;
Whereas substandard wages and poor working conditions continue to fuel shortages 
        and turnover in the care industry;
Whereas the median annual earnings for full-time childcare workers and home care 
        workers is less than $30,000, and, as a result, nearly 1 in 6 home care 
        workers lives in poverty, and 1 in 3 childcare workers is experiencing 
        food insecurity;
Whereas COVID-19 both heightened the existing challenges for, and placed new 
        stress on, care workers, leading to burnout and exhaustion;
Whereas the demand for home and community-based care services is growing, 
        because the population of adults who are 65 and older will nearly double 
        by 2050, and 10,000 individuals are aging into retirement per day;
Whereas 88 percent of aging adults prefer to receive long-term supports and 
        services in home and community-based settings;
Whereas, across the United States, approximately 656,000 aging individuals and 
        individuals with disabilities are on waiting lists to access home and 
        community-based services through Medicaid;
Whereas home care jobs are the jobs of the future, because the home care 
        workforce is projected to add more new jobs than any other single 
        occupation in the United States and will add more than 1,000,000 new 
        jobs from 2020 to 2030;
Whereas care jobs are the jobs of the future, because these jobs cannot be 
        automated or outsourced;
Whereas turnover and shortages in the care workforce are costly to the economy, 
        because they lead to higher costs for taxpayer-supported programs and 
        industry employers that need to keep hiring and training new workers;
Whereas large-scale labor force exits and work disruptions due to childcare 
        needs annually cost the economy an estimated $122,000,000,000 in lost 
        income, productivity, and tax revenue;
Whereas investing in care infrastructure will lead to fewer staffing shortages 
        and higher productivity, while ensuring a more robust and stable 
        pipeline of workers from which businesses can recruit; and
Whereas investing in direct care infrastructure specifically will result in 
        savings, because it costs $26,000 per individual per year to receive 
        care in a home in contrast to $90,000 per individual per year in a 
        congregate setting: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) expresses support for the designation of April 2023 as 
        ``Care Worker Recognition Month'';
            (2) recognizes the roles and the contributions of home care 
        workers in the United States in providing the care necessary 
        for older adults and disabled individuals to live independently 
        and in dignity;
            (3) recognizes the role and contributions of early 
        educators and childcare workers in the United States in 
        providing a nurturing, enriching environment for children to 
        grow and learn;
            (4) recognizes the roles and the contributions of care 
        workers in the United States in enabling caregivers the 
        opportunity to pursue educational attainment and to remain in 
        or reenter the workforce;
            (5) recognizes that the care industry is crucial to 
        economic growth; and
            (6) thanks and promotes the care worker profession.
                                 <all>