[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 58 (Thursday, March 30, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1104-S1105]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 153--RECOGNIZING THE ROLES AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF 
   CARE WORKERS IN THE UNITED STATES AND EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE 
     DESIGNATION OF APRIL 2023 AS ``CARE WORKER RECOGNITION MONTH''

  Mr. CASEY (for himself, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Sanders, Ms. 
Hassan, Mr. Markey, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Padilla, 
Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Fetterman, Ms. Smith, Ms. Warren, Ms. Duckworth, 
Mr. Lujan, and Mr. Brown) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 153

       Whereas there is a growing need on the part of families for 
     care, from childcare to support for older adults and 
     individuals with chronic illnesses or disabilities;
       Whereas childcare workers provide the essential service of 
     taking care of a child's basic needs while fostering a 
     child's early emotional, social, and intellectual 
     development;
       Whereas direct care workers allow older adults, individuals 
     with disabilities, and children with complex medical needs to 
     remain in their homes and communities and live healthy, 
     independent, and dignified lives by providing support with 
     critical daily tasks, such as eating, dressing, and personal 
     hygiene;
       Whereas investment in care workers is vital to labor force 
     participation and a strong economy;
       Whereas care workers give family caregivers the assurance 
     that their homes are being looked after and that their 
     children, parents, and loved ones are in the hands of 
     professionals;
       Whereas care work is an industry that particularly benefits 
     women, who account for the majority of the care workforce, 
     and that allows other women to participate in the labor 
     force;
       Whereas access to childcare and home and community-based 
     care helps families boost their economic stability by working 
     increased hours, taking fewer days off, and pursuing 
     opportunities to advance their education and careers;
       Whereas, when families are forced out of the labor market 
     due to caregiving responsibilities, they will experience 
     diminished income, access to benefits, and retirement savings 
     over their lifetimes;
       Whereas children who receive high-quality childcare are 
     healthier, more likely to graduate from college, and more 
     likely to have higher incomes;
       Whereas substandard wages and poor working conditions 
     continue to fuel shortages and turnover in the care industry;
       Whereas the median annual earnings for full-time childcare 
     workers and home care workers is less than $30,000, and, as a 
     result, nearly 1 in 6 home care workers lives in poverty, and 
     1 in 3 childcare workers is experiencing food insecurity;
       Whereas COVID-19 both heightened the existing challenges 
     for, and placed new stress on, care workers, leading to 
     burnout and exhaustion;
       Whereas the demand for home and community-based care 
     services is growing, because the population of adults who are 
     65 and older will nearly double by 2050, and 10,000 
     individuals are aging into retirement per day;
       Whereas 88 percent of aging adults prefer to receive long-
     term supports and services in home and community-based 
     settings;
       Whereas, across the United States, approximately 656,000 
     aging individuals and individuals with disabilities are on 
     waiting lists to access home and community-based services 
     through Medicaid;
       Whereas home care jobs are the jobs of the future, because 
     the home care workforce is projected to add more new jobs 
     than any other single occupation in the United States and 
     will add more than 1,000,000 new jobs from 2020 to 2030;
       Whereas care jobs are the jobs of the future, because these 
     jobs cannot be automated or outsourced;
       Whereas turnover and shortages in the care workforce are 
     costly to the economy, because they lead to higher costs for 
     taxpayer-supported programs and industry employers that need 
     to keep hiring and training new workers;
       Whereas large-scale labor force exits and work disruptions 
     due to childcare needs annually cost the economy an estimated 
     $122,000,000,000 in lost income, productivity, and tax 
     revenue;
       Whereas investing in care infrastructure will lead to fewer 
     staffing shortages and higher productivity, while ensuring a 
     more robust and stable pipeline of workers from which 
     businesses can recruit; and
       Whereas investing in direct care infrastructure 
     specifically will result in savings, because it costs $26,000 
     per individual per year to receive care in a home in contrast 
     to $90,000 per individual per year in a congregate setting: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--

[[Page S1105]]

       (1) expresses support for the designation of April 2023 as 
     ``Care Worker Recognition Month'';
       (2) recognizes the roles and the contributions of home care 
     workers in the United States in providing the care necessary 
     for older adults and disabled individuals to live 
     independently and in dignity;
       (3) recognizes the role and contributions of early 
     educators and childcare workers in the United States in 
     providing a nurturing, enriching environment for children to 
     grow and learn;
       (4) recognizes the roles and the contributions of care 
     workers in the United States in enabling caregivers the 
     opportunity to pursue educational attainment and to remain in 
     or reenter the workforce;
       (5) recognizes that the care industry is crucial to 
     economic growth; and
       (6) thanks and promotes the care worker profession.

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