Senator Patty Murray's office issued the following:
Dec 19 2019
(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the statement below following her vote in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act.
“I’m glad that Congress reached bipartisan
agreement on legislation to help ensure our servicemembers have the
resources and support they need to protect Americans here at home and
abroad. As a mother, grandmother and former educator, I’m particularly
pleased the bill includes new investments in building more on-base child
care centers to better support military families who often face unique
challenges when it comes to finding quality child care.
“In addition, I have long advocated for paid family leave policies, so I’m glad
to see this legislation will also guarantee federal employees twelve
weeks of paid parental leave for the first time in our country’s
history. Nobody should have to choose between a paycheck and welcoming a
child into their home, and we need to build on this step and ensure no
one in our country has to choose between earning a paycheck and caring
for loved ones in need.
“Know that as a voice in the Senate for
our military and veterans I will keep working to make sure the federal
government does its part to honor the enormous sacrifice of our military
families and all our servicemembers.”
A longtime advocate for increased funding for and access to military childcare programs, Senator Murray fought to include a new, dedicated funding stream of $121 million
for military child care construction. In 2017, Senator Murray
introduced legislation to dramatically expand access to quality,
affordable child care, the Child Care for Working Families Act, and has secured millions in funding
for child care programs, including the Child Care Development Block
Grant and the Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools (CCAMPIS)
program.
###
