Democratic Women’s Caucus Statement on House Passage of the Build Back Better Act

November 19, 2021
Press Release
CONTACT: Michelle Moreno-Silva
 
Washington, D.C. – Today, Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) Co-Chairs Congresswomen Lois Frankel (FL-21), Brenda Lawrence (MI-14), and Jackie Speier (CA-14), and Vice Chairs Congresswomen Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) issued the following statement on the House passage of H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better Act.
 
“The House passage of the Build Back Better Act marks a milestone for all women with historic investments in child care and home care, universal pre-k, the creation of our nation’s first paid leave for all program, essential resources to advance maternal health equity, and an extension of the Child Tax Credit,” said the Members. “Over 1.7 million women left the workforce during the pandemic, in part because their care infrastructure that was already hanging by a thread was torn asunder. We are removing barriers to women returning to the workforce and rebuilding a just economy for all. We are proud that all care economy priorities that our caucus fought for since Day One were included in the House package. Thank you to President Biden, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, House Democrats, and care economy advocates for working tirelessly with us to ensure this legislation finally delivers for women and families in a way never before seen in this country. As the Build Back Better Act heads to the Senate, we urge our Senate colleagues to build on this legislative victory and send this bill to the President’s desk immediately so that we can continue to grow our economy and ensure all women and families can thrive.”
 
The Build Better Act includes the following investments in the care economy:
  • Universal pre-k for all 3- and 4-year olds;
  • Historic investments in expanding access to affordable, quality child care so that families making up to 250% of their state median income pay no more than 7% of their family income towards child care – this will extend assistance to nearly all families of 4 making under $300,000 and make child care free for families making under 75% of their state median income;
  • Raising wages for the child care and early education workforce so they make a livable wage in line with elementary educators with similar credentials and experience;
  • $150 billion to expand access to quality home-based services and care for millions of older adults and people with disabilities;
  • Increased funds for home-based services will also strengthen the direct care workforce by improving provider payment rates and giving states the resources to improve their care infrastructure;
  • Permanently authorize the first-ever, universal, comprehensive paid leave benefit for all U.S. workers by offering 4 weeks of annual paid family and medical leave for new parents, workers dealing with their own serious medical conditions, and workers who need leave to care for a loved one with a serious medical issue;
  • Makes the refundability of the Child Tax Credit permanent ensuring that Americans who are most in need can benefit from the credit in the same way that all other families do;
  • Extends for another year the expanded Child Tax Credit so that eligible families receive a total of $3,000 per child under 18 or $3,600 per child under six;
  • All provisions from the Black Maternal Health Momnibus eligible for reconciliation were included in the bill, which is critical for addressing the tragic reality that the United States ranks as the worst place in the developed world on maternal mortality, and Black women are 2.5 times more likely than White women to die due to complications resulting from childbirth:
    • $175 million in funding for local entities to address social determinants of maternal health like housing, nutrition, and environmental conditions – including a minimum of $75 million exclusively for community-based organizations working to promote maternal health equity;
    • $295 million to grow and diversify the perinatal health workforce, including nurses, midwives, physicians, doulas, and maternal mental and behavioral health professionals – including $50 million specifically for doulas;
    • $100 million for maternal mental health equity grant programs;
    • $85 million to address the impacts of climate change-related maternal and infant health risks through health professional schools;
    • $50 million to advance maternal health research at Minority-Serving Institutions like Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and AAPISIs;
    • $50 million to promote representative community engagement in Maternal Mortality Review Committees;
    • $210 million to strengthen federal maternal health programs like the CDC’s Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies program, Enhancing Reviews and Surveillance to Eliminate Maternal Mortality (ERASE MM), Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), Perinatal Quality Collaboratives, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD);
    • $60 million to expand access to maternal health equity digital tools; and
    • $50 million for bias trainings among health care professionals.
The Build Back Better Act also includes the following key wins for women:
  • All pregnant women on Medicaid will now be able to keep their health insurance for the critical first year postpartum;
  • $75 million to support health care and community support services for pregnant women, parenting women, and young families;
  • Increased funding for programs and support to survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking;
  • Half of the $1 billion allocated to strengthening our skilled workforce through registered apprenticeships, youth apprenticeships, and pre-apprenticeships will be dedicated to programs serving high numbers of individuals with barriers to employment, including women.
H.R. 5376 passed the House of Representatives on November 19, 2021, by a vote of 220-213.
 
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