Al on the Issues

Affordable childcare. We must make childcare more affordable. Over 280,000 Minnesota children under the age of 6 are in need of childcare, and we must do all we can to make it more affordable. Women provide a large majority of the family childcare in this country. I don’t think that we do enough to value that work. One small step, that I will pursue in the Senate, is to easily ensure that existing tax credits cover at least 35% of childcare costs.

Caring for our parents. We owe to our seniors to value the care that they receive the long term care that they need. Just like childcare, a disproportionate amount of elder care responsibilities fall on women. We know that the best place to receive long term care is in the home, but that means relying on family members that are already feeling the middle-class squeeze. Caregiver Credit for any individual with substantial long-term care needs or for his or her caregivers will help more than 100,000 Minnesotans and their families.

Pay equity. Every person in this country should earn equal pay for an equal day’s work. Women in this country still earn only an average of 77 cents for every dollar that men earn for the same job. Many single women struggle to provide for themselves even while working jobs in well-paying fields. I want to know that my daughter, and every other woman in this country, is being paid fairly for the work that she does.

Balancing work and family. Let’s do something to help Minnesotans balance work and family. Too many parents are working too many jobs for not enough money and spending too little time with their kids. Minnesota has the nation’s highest percentage of women in the workforce: 69 percent. And the United States is one of only a handful of countries around the world that does not provide paid maternity leave. I will work to ensure that everyone has this option not only for the care of our children but for our elderly loved ones as well.

Violence Against Women. We must break the cycle of violence against our mothers, sisters and daughters both at home and abroad; this is a moral imperative. Women are still subjected to a stunning amount of violence and abuse in this country. That has got to end. That is why I will fight to preserve and strengthen the Violence Against Women Act as well as the Victims of Crime Act. But this moral obligation does not stop at U.S. borders. I will go to Washington to fight for the well-being of women worldwide by working to end human trafficking and by streamlining all of our efforts to protect women around the globe by opening an Office for Women's Global Initiatives at the State Department.

Health care. We must get to universal health coverage. I have a plan for health care in this country that will require every state to develop a system to provide universal coverage and enroll every child in a plan similar to SCHIP. But the kind of care that’s available matters as well. Women deserve affordable access to contraception and reproductive health care in general. Women know their own bodies and can make informed and educated decisions with their doctors. Part of ensuring that women can make these informed decisions is to ensure that all of our children receive age-appropriate sexual education in school. Education, prevention, and access are necessary components of any healthcare plan. You can learn more about my plan by clicking here.