HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.163
Reps. Coffia, Arbit, Conlin, McKinney, Hope, Rheingans, Brabec,
Stone, Coleman, Brixie, Hood and Hill offered the following
resolution:
1 A resolution to urge the United States Congress to pass Senate
2 Bill 2777, the Child Care Stabilization Act.
3 Whereas, The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was passed in
4 2021 and included nearly 24 billion dollars to stabilize child care
5 centers during the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 15 billion dollars in
6 child care and development block grants, and over 3.5 billion
7 dollars in grants for child care assistance. Michigan received 1.4
8 billion dollars in federal child care funding through ARPA and the
9 Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.
10 However, on September thirtieth, much of the critical child care
11 funding provided through ARPA ceased. The scarcity of available
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1 federal resources is predicted to have devastating effects on
2 families and the child care system as a whole. This lack of funding
3 must be remedied by the passage of the Child Care Stabilization
4 Act, which aims to provide grants that would help make child care
5 services more accessible to families and support the stability and
6 quality of child care providers; and
7 Whereas, Without federal support, child care programs may be
8 forced to close in Michigan and across the United States. Access to
9 child care is already a prominent issue in Michigan with 44 percent
10 of residents living in a child care desert, meaning there are at
11 least three times as many children as licensed child care
12 providers. A 2020 study found there were only child care openings
13 for about 31 percent of the 560,000 Michigan children under six
14 years old that needed child care. With the end of ARPA funding,
15 more than 1,200 child care programs are projected to close in
16 Michigan, leaving more than 56,000 children at risk of losing their
17 child care. Nationally, 3.2 million children are at risk of losing
18 care; and
19 Whereas, The loss of federal funds will likely hurt state
20 economies by causing a loss in economic activity, tax revenues,
21 employer productivity, employment, and earnings. Millions of
22 parents are projected to be impacted by the loss of child care by
23 being forced to leave the workforce or reduce their work hours.
24 This could cost families in the United States 9 billion dollars
25 each year in lost earnings. In 2019, just over 9.4 percent of
26 parents in the U.S., including 14 percent of Michigan parents,
27 reported that child care issues caused significant disruptions to
28 their employment. A Michigan study from 2023 reported a much higher
29 rate of nearly 32 percent. Fourteen percent of Michigan parents
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1 from that study reportedly left a job in the last six months in
2 order to provide their own child care; and
3 Whereas, Federal funding is critical not only for American
4 families but also for child care providers. ARPA funds were used to
5 pay child care workers higher wages to attract additional staff
6 members and prevent staff turnover. The increase to wages was vital
7 for many child care workers, whose average annual wage is around
8 28,000 dollars. Over 60 percent of child care workers struggle to
9 pay for food and utilities each month. Once the federal funds ran
10 out, some child care workers had to work additional jobs or leave
11 child care entirely to support their families; and
12 Whereas, Some child care providers used ARPA funds to provide
13 tuition assistance to families. States, tribes, and territories
14 also used the money to help low-income families and essential
15 workers cover child care costs. On average, American families spend
16 between 5,000 dollars and 17,000 dollars, roughly between 8 and 19
17 percent of their income, on child care every year. As the cost of
18 child care continues to rise, the federal government must step in
19 and provide resources to support the child care system and the
20 millions of children that it serves; now, therefore, be it
21 Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we urge the
22 United States Congress to pass Senate Bill 2777, the Child Care
23 Stabilization Act; and be it further
24 Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the
25 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the
26 President of the United States Senate, and the members of
27 Michigan’s congressional delegation.
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