MADISON – Today, Republicans took no action during the Governor’s special session to support Wisconsin’s child care industry. In response, Legislative Democrats introduced legislation to fund Wisconsin’s Child Care Counts Program. Senate Democratic Leader Melissa Agard (D-Madison) released the following statement:
“Wisconsin child care providers are the workforce behind Wisconsin’s workforce. We must lift up this vital industry to ensure that working families have access to quality, affordable child care. If Republicans were serious about addressing our state’s labor shortage, they would ensure that every parent has access to quality affordable child care so that moms and dads can remain in the workforce. We know that the Child Care Counts program and this industry has widespread support from a coalition of diverse individuals across the state.
“While Republicans may be okay with sitting idly by and watching this industry collapse, Legislative Democrats are not. I showed up to the special session today, ready to pass Governor Evers’ workforce package, but my colleagues on the other side were not even in attendance to debate the proposal.
“We are falling behind our neighboring states, but we will not stop pushing forward policies that are widely popular amongst our friends and neighbors, like the Child Care Counts program. Republicans have now been given a third opportunity to do the right thing.”
