[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 1, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H2994]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CHILDCARE IS INFRASTRUCTURE

  (Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, the Moving Forward Act 
recognizes that childcare is infrastructure.
  Central to rebuilding our economy, stabilizing our workforce, and 
educating our children, childcare is a public good, supporting more 
than $99 billion a year in economic activity.
  But we have not treated it as such. Ninety-six percent of childcare 
professionals are women, and 40 percent are women of color, and they 
are chronically underpaid. Costs for families are high, creating 
barriers, especially from women, from entering and staying in the 
workforce.
  The pandemic has pushed this vital sector to its breaking point, and 
we cannot afford to let it fail. This bill creates a grant program to 
renovate and modify childcare facilities, helping them to reopen 
safely. It invests in providers and in our Nation's children.
  Childcare is the foundation for building an inclusive economy, and 
now is the time to invest in our future. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this 
legislation.

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