Weekly Newsletter 8.6.23

This week was World Breastfeeding Awareness Week, kicking off Breastfeeding Awareness Month.  This year’s theme focuses on enabling breastfeeding and making a difference for working parents. Workplace challenges are the most common reason given for women to never breastfeed or stop earlier than recommended. New mothers need adequate time and support to breastfeed, with both adequate parental leave and workplace accommodations.  

My experiences as a breastfeeding mother showed me the importance of having personal and workplace support for new mothers during this vulnerable time. Thirteen years ago, I was the first pregnant member of the Virginia House of Delegates. During the 2011 session, I breastfed Jack, and it was quite an adjustment—for me and the House—balancing nursing and pumping with the demands of Session. I needed a good support system. In 2015, due to her early arrival by emergency C-section, Samantha spent 6 months in the NICU and couldn’t nurse. But I was able to pump in order to breastfeed her, first through a feeding tube and then by bottle. When I returned to work, I was determined to continue breastfeeding. The challenges of work and Session often had me up at 3 am to pump meals for the day. Sometimes I’d pump at work and run the bottle to daycare for afternoon feedings. During the 2011 and 2016 General Assembly Sessions, I would pump between presenting bills, constituent meetings, and voting on the House Floor. My office became a hub for many working breastfeeding mothers looking for a safe place to pump and store milk.

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In 2011, there were some legal protections, but not enough. In 2014 I passed a bill to require public schools to adopt lactation policies to provide breaks and non-bathroom locations for nursing employees and students to pump and a safe place to store milk. In 2015, I worked with then-Senator Jennifer Wexton and Delegate Dave Albo to pass a law establishing a mother's right to breastfeed in any public place she was lawfully present. In 2019, I passed a resolution establishing August as Virginia Breastfeeding Awareness Month. And, in 2020, I passed The Pregnant Worker Fairness Act, making Virginia the 28th state to require employers to make reasonable accommodations for pregnant and breastfeeding workers. You can learn more about Virginia breastfeeding laws here.

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But your right to breastfeed while working should not depend on the state in which you live. That’s why I’m so excited that on June 27, 2023, the federal Pregnant Worker Fairness Act took effect nationwide to ensure pregnant and postpartum workers are not forced to choose between their job and a healthy pregnancy and postpartum.  Learn more about your breastfeeding rights under federal law here and here.

I’m proud of the work already done to provide institutional support for new mothers, but there is still more work to be done, like providing adequate paid parental leave. I am committed as a member of Congress to do all that needs to be done to support new mothers. 

NASA Deputy Administrator Visits Richmond

Monday, NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy visited the Science Museum of Virginia for a tour of its latest exhibit, Space: An Out-of-Gravity Experience. This hands-on, multimedia exhibit provides visitors a glimpse of the challenges and triumphs of human space travel, including a simulation of the International Space Station. It was fascinating to tour the exhibit with DA Melroy, one of only two women to command a space shuttle, whose missions were assembly missions to build the International Space Station. Her visit highlights Virginia’s long and constructive history with NASA, as she also visited the agency’s first field center and birthplace of manned space flight at Langley in Hampton.

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After our tour, we held a roundtable discussion with Science Museum Chief Wonder Officer Rich Conti, climate experts from VCU and University of Richmond, and a co-founder of Southside ReLeaf, a volunteer-run organization committed to building a healthy, equitable and sustainable environment for all residents in South Richmond. We discussed the value of NASA’s unique position as our leading space agency to collect data that empowers researchers and climate leaders in our communities – and around the world – to make informed decisions and prepare for the impacts of climate change for generations to come. One such example is NASA’s new Earth Information Center, a hybrid exhibit that shows how NASA data can improve lives in the face of disasters, environmental challenges, and our changing world. We also discussed the Science Museum’s collaboration with Richmond community members, universities, and nonprofits to study the city’s heat island effect, which showed differences of up to 16 degrees Fahrenheit across Richmond’s neighborhoods during the hottest part of the day.  

As we experience worsening climate impacts,  we must maintain strong coordination between all levels of government, advocacy organizations, and other stakeholders. This week’s roundtable discussion was an excellent opportunity to connect federal officials with state and local experts to share updates and priorities as we continue our efforts to combat the climate crisis. As a member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, I look forward to continued collaboration with NASA and other stakeholders to advance innovative technologies and preserve our planet.

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Addressing the Childcare Crisis with Senator Tim Kaine 

On Tuesday, I joined Senator Tim Kaine to tour an expanded location for Kidz with Goals Unlimited,  a childcare and early education center in Hopewell for infants and children up to age 11. Following the tour, Senator Kaine and I hosted a roundtable discussion with parents, childcare providers, and policy advocates to discuss the childcare crisis in America.  

As one of only 37 moms of young children in Congress, I am keenly aware that we have a childcare crisis. As a member of the Virginia General Assembly, I worked to improve childcare by passing The Childcare Stabilization Act to permit portable background checks and provide greater flexibility in spending federal funds. I also cosponsored legislation creating a statewide unified system for early childhood care and education, and fought for more funding for early childhood education. Now, as a member of the Congressional Bipartisan Pre-K and Childcare Caucus, I’m fighting just as hard to address the childcare crisis.  

The COVID pandemic exacerbated a shortage of affordable, quality childcare and early childhood education opportunities for working families, particularly for infant care. The Biden-Harris Administration and 117th Congress took significant steps to address the crisis. Specifically, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided $3.5 billion to the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program and $750 million to Head Start programs. A year later, The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) included $39 billion in emergency childcare relief funding to stabilize the existing sector.  ARPA funds alone served over 220,00 childcare providers by assisting with rent and mortgage payments, increased wages and investments in health and safety measures.

Both federal investments in childcare are set to expire on September 30, 2023, and a recent study from The Century Foundation (TCF) projects that as a result, over 70,000 childcare programs, including more than half of licensed providers in Virginia will likely close, and approximately 3.2 million children across the country could lose their childcare spots. Without additional funding, in Virginia 88,265 children would lose their childcare, at least 2,861 childcare workers would lose their jobs, and parents would lose $280 million in earnings after being forced to cut work hours or leave the workforce. Unfortunately, the Labor, Health and Human Services (Labor HHS) Appropriations Bill proposed by House Republicans cuts early childhood education programs by $750 million. Meanwhile, the Senate is considering a Labor HHS Appropriations Bill that increases funding for the Child Care Development Block Grant programs to $8.7 billion and $12.27 billion for Head Start. I am hopeful the Senate position will prevail. 

This week I also joined Representative Suzan Bonamici (OR-01) and other House Democrats in a letter to President Biden to support increased investment in the childcare sector of at least $16 billion per year to reduce the impact of the expiration of ARPA and CARES Act stabilization grants. Senator Kaine led a similar letter with his colleagues. In addition, Senator Kaine and Representative Bobby Scott (VA-03) recently reintroduced the Child Care for Working Families Act to ensure families can find and afford high-quality childcare. Senator Kaine also introduced legislation to develop, administer, and evaluate early childhood education apprenticeships. I am proud to support these and other measures to increase access to high quality, affordable childcare and early childhood education.

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Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Calls on Speaker McCarthy to Schedule Votes on Gun Violence Prevention Legislation

Gun violence continues to plague our communities as a public health crisis. It has been the leading cause of death of children in the United States since 2020. Last year, 1,686 children were killed and another 4,485 were injured by gun violence. In July, the United States surpassed 400 mass shootings in 2023, setting the stage for a record-breaking year in gun violence. Gun violence has touched several communities in the Fourth Congressional District. Yet, the House has yet to vote on a single gun violence prevention bill.

This week, I joined Representative Mike Thompson (CA-04), Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force (GVPTF), and 108 fellow GVPTF members in a letter urging Speaker Kevin McCarthy to schedule votes on gun violence prevention legislation as soon as possible. This letter comes nearly two months after signing discharge petitions to force votes on an Assault Weapons Ban, closing the Charleston Loophole, and Universal Background Checks. While our House Republican colleagues may be content to do nothing in the face of rising gun violence, an overwhelming majority of voters support these and other common sense measures, even according to Fox News polling. House Democrats remain committed to fighting for these reforms. 

President Biden Signs Executive Order Implementing Bipartisan Military Justice Reforms

President Biden signed an executive order implementing reforms in how the military handles sexual assault and other crimes. These historic reforms implement legislative changes to the Uniform Code of Military Justice passed by the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act that require prosecution of sexual and related crimes to be handled by special victims units in the services, outside the military chain of command. The changes build on recommendations from the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military established by Secretary of Defense Loyd Austin. These reforms create a significant improvement for victims of gender-based violence, creating a fairer system and ensuring victims are treated with dignity and fairness. Learn more about the Executive Order here.

August Mobile McClellan in Emporia

Our next Mobile McClellan session to provide an opportunity to meet with  my constituent services staff outside of the Richmond and Brunswick offices will be held in Emporia on August 15th from 11am to 1pm at Emporia City Hall, 201 South Main St, Emporia 23847. RSVP here if you need assistance with a federal agency. More Mobile McClellan sessions will be scheduled soon.
 

Save the Date – In Person Town Hall

Mark your calendars for my first in-person town hall on September 6th  at Reynolds Community College on Parham Road in the Lipman Auditorium. Over the coming weeks, I’ll provide more details. I am truly looking forward to the opportunity to meet with constituents in person, update you on my work, hear your priorities and answer questions. Hope to see you there.