MADISON, Wis. – President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Act will have a significant impact in the lives of Wisconsin working families and women, as outlined in a new fact sheet released by the Women Effect Action Fund, based on research by Lenore Palladino of UMass Amherst.
The Build Back Better Act includes four weeks of guaranteed paid family and medical leave, a significant expansion in services for older people and people with disabilities, and a historic investment in child care and early childhood education.
“President Biden’s Build Back Better Act targets areas in our economy that have been historically underinvested in for too long, leaving working families and women to pick up the pieces on their own,” said Brita Olsen, state director of Family Friendly Wisconsin. “This bill is what we need to uplift and empower the backbone of our economy and lower costs for working families. Now, the Senate needs to pass it.”
“As a child care provider, I understand how the lack of investments in care policies has impacted working families. It is hard for parents to find child care; on average, I have to turn one family away each week due to lack of space,” said Corrine Hendrickson, owner of Corrine’s Little Explorers in New Glarus. “Families and caregivers in Wisconsin desperately need and deserve the policies in the Build Back Better Act.”
Here’s how the Build Back Better Act will impact working families and women in Wisconsin:
-
Paid family and medical leave will put $355.6 million more annually in Wisconsinites’ paychecks. Specifically, paid leave would add an estimated $278.4 million a year to the state economy, including $77.2 million in income in restaurant and hospital sectors.
-
Nearly 344,000 Wisconsinites who need it will be able to take paid leave each year. This includes 182,000 Wisconsin women who do not currently have paid leave, of which 96,000 are women with low-incomes..
-
Investments in child care and pre-K will add over 11,800 new jobs in Wisconsin, including 9,200 new child care and pre-K sectors. Wages for child care and pre-K workers will also increase, leading to a total increase in wages of $37.3 million to Wisconsin workers.
-
Investments in elder care and care for people with disabilities will create and support 2,300 new jobs annually for 10 years, nearly 1,900 of which are “living wage” care jobs. This will also generate an additional $65.2 million in income for current workers and their families in Wisconsin each year.
-
Provides households with up to $300 per month ($3,600 per year), by extending the Child Tax Credit that was put in place by the American Rescue Plan. In July, more than 590,000 families received a check, helping one million children across Wisconsin. The Child Tax Credit is set to expire on December 31, 2021, if not passed in the Build Back Better Act.
