Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's office issued the following Friday:


March 29, 2019

Gillibrand Joins Casey And 19 Senate Colleagues To Introduce Legislation Making Child Care More Affordable

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today announced that she joined U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and 19 other Senate colleagues to introduce the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act. This legislation would make it easier and more affordable for working families to obtain child care. In 2018, New Yorkers paid on average over $15,000 to send an infant to a full-time child care center. The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act would make child care more affordable by increasing the tax credit amount per child and making the full credit available to working families with incomes up to $120,000.  

“All families deserve access to high-quality child care for their children,” said Senator Gillibrand. “But due to the outrageously high cost of child care, which can cost more than a year of college in some places, many working families cannot afford child care. The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act would help reduce the burden on these families and help make child care more affordable. It is a commonsense solution to a problem that families are facing in New York and across the country, and I urge my colleagues to join me and pass this bill into law.”

Specifically, The Child Care and Dependent Credit Enhancement Act would do the following:

• Make the full Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit available to most working families: This bill would make the full credit available to families with income under $120,000. The current phase-down of the credit begins at $15,000 of income.
• Put more money into a family’s pocket: The bill would increase the maximum credit from $1,050 to $3,000 per child (age 0-13), up to $6,000. 
• Ensure lower income families see a benefit: The bill would make the credit fully refundable to make sure those with the greatest need see a benefit. 
• Retain the value over time: The bill would index benefits to inflation to ensure they keep up with ever-growing costs.

This legislation is led by U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Jack Reed (D-RI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).