[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 26 (Thursday, February 9, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H1471]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       INTRODUCTION OF THE CHILD CARE AVAILABILITY INCENTIVE ACT

  (Ms. PRYCE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, today, I join with my colleague, the 
gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Roemer] to introduce the Child Care 
Availability Incentive Act, a bill that will increase access to 
affordable, quality child care for America's working families.
  Today, few parents have the luxury of foregoing an income to stay at 
home with their children. There has been a dramatic rise in single-
parent households, and dual-income families have become the norm. 
Unfortunately, the supply of child care has not kept up with the 
demand, and the care that is available is often inadequate.
  Our bill addresses this crisis by offering tax incentives to 
businesses to provide licensed, on-site or site-adjacent care to their 
employees. Both the employer and the employee benefit from this 
approach. Child care convenient to the workplace increases 
productivity, improves worker morale, and cuts down on absenteeism and 
provides for better overall employment relations.
  The Child Care Availability Incentive Act does not create another 
Government program or offer a new Federal mandate. Instead, it provides 
a simple way Government can encourage business to address a growing 
societal need.
  I invite my colleagues to cosponsor this urgently needed legislation.
  

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