New York Senator and 2020 hopeful Kirsten Gillibrand released an enormous “Family Bill of Rights” on Wednesday morning. Along with being an outspoken supporter of reproductive rights and abortion access, Gillibrand wants to help make raising a family economically viable and socially responsible, too.
This policy proposal actually aims to make raising kids not only more affordable, but safer. In a time when many candidates are discussing their top priorities in the Oval Office, should they win the election, Gillibrand stressed that transforming any “child’s health, safety, and future academic success” would be at the top for her within her first 100 days. "The resources and care available at the start of a child's life have a crucial impact on their health, safety, development and future success. Yet not every child starts on equal footing," Gillibrand’s press release states.
What exactly does this look like? Let’s check out the details. Honing in on childcare through kindergarten, Gillibrand says her plan would “level” the field starting at birth for both kids and parents. One example of this includes providing families with a “baby bundles” that would give new parents supplies such as diapers, onesies, and baby mattresses upon leaving the hospital.
The proposal would also include equal adoption rights, with the intent of preventing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic class, or religion. This protection is particularly important for same-sex couples or those who use IVF. A refundable tax credit would also be available for families who adopt.
In terms of really big picture stuff, Gillibrand’s plan includes paid family leave, universal pre-K, and automatically enrolling newborns into the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which is government-funded health care. This would give children access to Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment program. (Note: Parents would be able to opt out of this if they chose to.)
How does she hope to pay for all of this? A financial transaction tax. This would (basically) put a 0.03% tax on all Wall Street transactions. Her proposal estimates this alone would raise $777 billion in ten years.
This isn’t a new platform for Gillibrand, either; she’s released a bill for paid family leave every year since 2013. And it’s one that has a lot of support: Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Eric Swalwell, Tulsi Gabbard, and Amy Klobuchar have all co-sponsored the family leave bill. In the grand scheme, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, and Cory Booker all support a platform for universal pre-K.
One thing is for sure: Democrats know families need help. Would a “Family Bill of Rights” help your family?