Congresswoman Miller Introduces Legislation to Provide Necessary Child Care Resources for Working Families
December 13, 2022
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) re-introduced The Working Families Childcare Access Act, bipartisan legislation that will provide support and necessary resources working families need to raise their children and pay for child care. This bill will allow parents to contribute to an employer-sponsored dependent care flexible spending account (FSA) and roll over unused funds at the end of the year. The bill was previously introduced by the late Congresswoman Jackie Walorski (R-IN), who tragically passed away in 2022.
“I am honored to take on the bill that my dear friend and mentor, Jackie, introduced earlier last year,” said Congresswoman Miller. “This bipartisan bill is a reflection of Jackie's leadership and will aid our working families to ensure they have the resources they need to raise their children. The Working Families Childcare Access Act would support parents in having access to affordable child care and also provide flexibility to use pretax dollars for a range of child care expenses including adoption, sports activities, art programs, and tutoring. This legislation will deliver meaningful results that will strengthen not only our families and our communities, but also our economy.”
Background:
This bill allows certain additional expenses in a dependent care flexible spending arrangement (FSA), specifically qualified sports, tutoring, and music or art expenses. Currently, these tax-advantaged accounts are limited to $5,000, and any funds not used by the end of the year are forfeited.
The Working Families Childcare Access Act would support working families by:
“I am honored to take on the bill that my dear friend and mentor, Jackie, introduced earlier last year,” said Congresswoman Miller. “This bipartisan bill is a reflection of Jackie's leadership and will aid our working families to ensure they have the resources they need to raise their children. The Working Families Childcare Access Act would support parents in having access to affordable child care and also provide flexibility to use pretax dollars for a range of child care expenses including adoption, sports activities, art programs, and tutoring. This legislation will deliver meaningful results that will strengthen not only our families and our communities, but also our economy.”
Background:
This bill allows certain additional expenses in a dependent care flexible spending arrangement (FSA), specifically qualified sports, tutoring, and music or art expenses. Currently, these tax-advantaged accounts are limited to $5,000, and any funds not used by the end of the year are forfeited.
The Working Families Childcare Access Act would support working families by:
- Increasing Annual contribution limits: The bill will increase the annual contribution limit to $15,000 instead of the current $5,000 limit.
- Eliminating the “use-or-lose” rule: The bill will allow the rollover of saved unused FSA funds into the following year.
- Expanding qualified expenses: This bill will provide parents with the flexibility to use their care FSA funds for adoption expenses, tutoring, sports, art, and music programs.
- Raising age limits: This bill would allow FSA funds to be used for children up to the age of 15 to ensure parents may save up for child care over a longer period of time.
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