Kentucky families and employers continue to struggle with child care issues that are contributing to a devastating workforce shortage across the state.
Legislation filed in the 2022 session seeks to expand access to child care for working Kentuckians.
Rep. Samara Heavrin filed House Bill 499, establishing The Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership, which encourages non-profit and for-profit employers to offer child care assistance as a benefit by matching employer contributions with state dollars.
In an interview with The Bottom Line about the bill, Heavrin said child care is the number one issue she hears about in her district and it was important for her to file this legislation to help middle class working families with this issue.
House Bill 499 currently has bipartisan support in the House with 51 cosponsors and the backing of many organizations and groups including the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Toyota, Kentucky Association of Manufacturers, and more.
“The main thing I want working families to know is that we hear them. As a representative, we are here to represent the people and I want them to know we hear them and we are trying to help see what we can do to help make getting back to work easier,” Heavrin said.
Watch the full interview with Rep. Samara Heavrin to hear details of the bill, what the process would look like for employers and working families, and much more here:
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