[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 159 (Wednesday, September 26, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H8894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                DAYCARE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of working families 
across the country who are trying to make ends meet.
  As a mother, a grandmother, and someone who has employed moms and 
dads, I know that raising a family is a great joy, but it can also be a 
great source of anxiety. Children are a blessing, but raising a family 
introduces serious challenges and costs.
  In Missouri, the average annual cost of center-based infant care is 
estimated to be $8,632. That is $719 a month. Infant care in Missouri 
costs $634 more per year than instate tuition at a 4-year public 
college, and it is unaffordable for so very many families.
  According to a study published by the Economic Policy Institute, a 
daycare center for two children--an infant and, say, a 4-year-old--
costs $17,940. That is 102 percent more than the average rent in 
Missouri. A typical family in Missouri has to spend a shocking 30 
percent of their income on daycare for their two children.
  In fact, it is estimated that the cost of childcare for two children 
exceeds annual median rent payments in every State. Paying for 
childcare is just plain hard for every working family I have spoken 
with in the State of Missouri.
  In the 1970s, Congress heard America's families loud and clear and 
created the dependent care flexible spending accounts. These accounts 
allow parents to contribute pretax dollars to pay for qualified out-of-
pocket dependent care expenses.
  They are not only for children. These accounts can also be used to 
pay for adult dependents who use adult daycare, eldercare or similar 
services.
  It is a great program, but it has not kept up with the needs of 
today's families. Despite rising childcare costs, Congress has not 
raised the FSA contribution cap since 1986. That is why, this week, I 
am introducing the Child and Dependent Care Modernization Act.
  This bill will modernize the maximum amount a family can contribute 
to dependent care flexible spending accounts to track with the real 
costs of dependent care today. It will also index the maximum 
contribution limit so that the value of an FSA will increase in the 
future as dependent care costs increase.
  Another challenge that many families enrolled in an FSA experience is 
the ``use-it-or-lose-it'' rule. If parents don't use the full balance 
in their FSA before the year ends, they forfeit their unused money, 
limiting the ability of parents to save for ongoing costs of care. My 
bill will allow unused funds to roll over into the next plan year and 
return a little more freedom and flexibility to America's families.
  This bill is part of my legislative work to make the lives of 
Missouri's families just a little easier. I look forward to introducing 
this legislation and working with my colleagues to make it law.

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