Nelson, Giral Bill to Eliminate Child Care Cliff Advances

HARRISBURG - Legislation authored by Rep. Eric Nelson (R-Westmoreland) and Rep. Jose Giral (D-Philadelphia) to make child care more accessible to working families was approved by the House Monday with strong bipartisan support. "For years, we have worked to implement a commonsense solution that enables lower-income parents to accept a raise AND keep essential child care," Nelson said. "Our bill smooths what's known as the 'child care cliff,' so working parents can earn above government's set limit, contribute at a higher rate, and keep their child care for the rest of that benefit year." The legislation, House Bill 1108, uses existing dollars to codify a successful pilot program which extends child care for parents who started below poverty income limits and earned their way just above the cut-off, providing they pay a higher copay. The 2023-24 budget included a child care services framework so that working families with increased income could still participate in the subsidy program if their income does not exceed 300% of the federal poverty income guidelines. It prescribed families with higher incomes to pay larger copayments but not face expulsion from the program. "We want to help families earn their way out of poverty and ensure parents keep their high-quality child care," Giral said, "This is a win-win for families and businesses without costing Pennsylvanians more money." Now having passed in the House, House Bill 1108 has been referred to the Pennsylvania Senate. Representative Eric Nelson 57th Legislative District Pennsylvania House of Representatives Media Contact: Jordan Frei 724.875.8450 [email protected] RepNelson.com / Facebook.com/RepNelson

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