[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 97 (Monday, July 20, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1354]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             FEDERAL EMPLOYEE CHILD CARE AFFORDABILITY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CONSTANCE A. MORELLA

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 20, 1998

  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce legislation to allow 
agencies to use their salary and expense accounts to help federal 
employees pay for child care. Balancing work and family has become 
increasingly difficult for families, and federal employees are no 
exception.
  My legislation will provide opportunities for federal agencies to 
help provide quality child care for their employees' children. The 
legislation I am introducing today will be marked up in the Civil 
Service subcommittee, on which I serve, on Tuesday, July 21, and in the 
Government Reform and Oversight Committee on Thursday, July 23.
  I have worked with the Office of Personnel Management to develop this 
legislation. Several agencies, including the Social Security 
Administration, Department of Justice, Department of Defense, and the 
Office of Personnel Management, have requested such authority from OPM. 
OPM cannot grant this authority; we must legislate this simple change.
  This legislation does not require any additional appropriations. It 
would be up to individual agencies to determine whether or not to use 
funds from their salary and expense appropriations to help provide 
child care. Agencies--not employees--would make payments to child care 
providers to help lower-income federal employees pay for their child 
care.
  Such child care benefits are already being provided to military 
employees--with a separate line item, which is more than my legislation 
would provide. The Department of Defense, one of the agencies seeking 
such the authority to help its employees with child care costs, has 
pointed out that they can provide child care benefits to their military 
employees but not the civil servants working side by side.
  Many federal employees are caught in a serious child care crunch. A 
recent study showed that one-quarter of all federal workers had 
children under the age of six needing care at some time during the work 
day. During a recent hearing in Congressman Steve Horn's subcommittee, 
testimony revealed that some federal child care facilities charge up to 
$10,000 or more per child per year. Many federal employees simply 
cannot afford quality child care. By allowing agencies the flexibility 
to help their workers meet their child care needs, we will be 
encouraging family-friendly workplaces and higher productivity. I 
encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation to 
help federal employees and agencies meet their child care needs.

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