SBE Council Support Statement: “Empowering Employer Child and Elder Care Solutions Act” (H.R. 2270)

By SBE Council at 12 January, 2026, 6:01 pm

The following statement of support for the "Empowering Employer Child and Elder Care Solutions Act" can be attributed to Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) President & CEO Karen Kerrigan:

"SBE Council strongly endorses H.R. 2270, the Empowering Employer Child and Elder Care Solutions Act, and we thank Representative Mark Messmer for his leadership in sponsoring this important legislation. The more opportunities and tools that small business owners have to support their workforce, the stronger and more competitive their businesses become. Outdated and poorly aligned labor rules discourage small businesses from offering child and dependent care assistance due to unintended overtime cost penalties. This needs to be fixed so that small businesses can more practically provide child and dependent care benefits."

"H.R. 2270 fixes the flaw in federal law by clarifying that employer-provided child and dependent care payments and benefits are excluded from overtime pay calculations. This commonsense reform removes a disincentive that has limited the availability of important benefits. The reform will help small businesses improve and strengthen workforce participation and retention by addressing the challenges many employees face in finding affordable and reliable care. SBE Council urges every member of the U.S. House to support this practical and needed legislative solution."

SBE Council is a nonpartisan advocacy, research and education organization dedicated to protecting small business and promoting entrepreneurship. For more than 30 years, SBE Council has advanced a range of private sector and public policy initiatives to strengthen the ecosystem for strong startup activity and small business growth.

Visit www.sbecouncil.org for additional information. X: @SBECouncil