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Women's Rights
I understand that as far as women's rights have progressed in the last fifty years, much more needs to be done. Despite the fact that nearly half the workforce is now made up of women, that women are more likely to have an advanced degree, and that as many as 10 million businesses in America are owned by women, women are still not competing on a level playing-field with their male counterparts. Today, women earn only 77 cents for every dollar men earn and face unique challenges balancing the demands of work and family. As your Representative, I will continue the fight to create opportunity for women and support them in the choices they make by: Paid Family and Medical Leave. I will work to ensure that millions of Americans would never have to choose between the job they need and the family they love. As your Representative, I will support legislative action to provide 8 weeks of paid leave to care for a sick family member or to welcome a child into the world. Pay Equity. According to the United States Census, the average income of women college graduates is $25,000 less than their male counterparts. For women of color, the gap is even larger. A strong supporter of paycheck fairness, I will work to ensure that no woman is ever denied a full and fair paycheck because of their gender. As your Representative, I will push legislation to require the Department of Labor to work with employers to eliminate pay disparities. I will also seek to prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who share salary information with their co-workers and stiffen penalties for employers in violation of the Equal Pay Act. I understand that equal pay for equal work is long overdue. Making Child Care Affordable and Accessible. Today, parents of more than 28 million school-age children work outside the home. Unfortunately, the high cost of child care erodes the value of their paychecks or, in some cases, prevents parents from reentering the workforce at all. I understand children must have a safe place to grow while their parents are at work. As your Representative, I will support significantly increasing funding for child care programs and provide incentives for businesses to provide child care for their employees. I will also advocate and promote public-private partnerships to strengthen investment in early childhood development. Expand the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. I understand that raising a family in America is expensive. Visits to the pediatrician, formula, diapers, and child care, all take a toll on a family's budget. Today, the Child Tax Credit provides $1,000 per child but parents of nearly 7 million low-income children, most of them infants and toddlers, are ineligible for the credit. As your Representative, I will push legislation expanding eligibility for the Child Tax Credit. I also support expanding eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit, which lifts more than 2.5 million children out of poverty each year. Make Women's Health a Priority. I know that while we have made incredible strides in focusing on women's health in recent years, more must be done. As your Representative, I will advance legislation to invest additional research dollars into diseases that disproportionately affect women and fund added research into how diseases and medicines affect women differently than men. I support providing universal health care with special emphasis on prevention and screenings for diseases such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer and heart disease. A strong supporter of a woman's right to choose, I will also ensure access to women's contraceptive services and equity in prescription drug coverage. |
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