[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 21, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H8844]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       WOMEN'S CONGRESSIONAL CAUCUS ADVOCATES ADEQUATE CHILD CARE

  (Ms. DeGETTE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeGETTE. Madam Speaker, and that sounds kind of good, ``Madam 
Speaker,'' when 18 women established the Congressional Caucus on 
Women's Issues in 1977, little did they realize that their brainchild 
would be the single most important tool for advancing issues most 
important to American women.
  One of the most pressing issues that is facing women and families 
today, and as we move into the next century, is child care. I know this 
personally, having faced struggles in child care in just the last few 
months in moving in the Washington area and looking for quality child 
care for my two young girls.
  Madam Speaker, finding child care for me was tough, but finding child 
care for low-income women and families, where a dollar spent on child 
care means a dollar less on food or rent, is even harder.
  That is why I applaud the efforts of the Women's Congressional Caucus 
and the White House, which this week is holding a conference on child 
care, the first of its kind ever.
  Mothers and families should not have to choose between work and 
adequate child care. That is why the Women's Caucus has been, and 
continues to be, a strong advocate for quality child care.

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