Senator Murray hears from student parents about their child care experiences in Bellingham, listens to stories from parents recovering from substance misuse in Seattle
Meetings follow Senator Murray’s push for votes on the Child Care for Working Families Act and the Opioid Crisis Recovery Act
TOP: Senator Murray tours Western Washington University’s AS Child Development Center before sitting down for a discussion with student parents and teachers about climbing child care costs. BOTTOM: Senator Murray hears emotion-packed stories from parents in Seattle who have experienced losing custody of their children as they worked to recover from addiction.
(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) pledged continued action this week to help Washington state families battle rising child care costs and fight the growing threat of the opioid epidemic in a series of meetings with local parents, highlighting her recent pushes for legislation that would strengthen investments in the nation’s child care infrastructure and improve the federal government’s response to the opioid crisis. In meetings with parents in Bellingham and Seattle, Senator Murray heard stories of their experiences with child care and opioid addiction, respectively, and discussed how legislation she’s working to pass in Congress, including the Child Care for Working Families Act and the bipartisan Opioid Crisis Recovery Act that passed unanimously out of committee last month, would provide increased support to families like theirs.
“As we continue working to build an economy that works for all of us and end the crisis of the opioid epidemic, I appreciated hearing from parents in Bellingham and Seattle who are dealing with the impact of these challenges on a daily basis to better understand how the federal government can support the needs of children and families in our communities. Listening to these and other stories from across the state – from student parents who shared the importance of having access to high-quality, affordable child care, to recovering parents who shared their experiences working to combat the impact of their addiction on their families – it is clear that we still have more work to do to. That’s why as a voice for children, parents, and families in the United States Senate, I’m going to keep fighting to break through ideological noise and disruption and work toward solutions that help working families in our state and around the country heal and thrive,” said Senator Murray.
Senator Murray traveled to Bellingham on May 1 to visit Western Washington University’s Associated Students Child Development Center, where a group of student parents spoke about the critical role having access to affordable, high-quality child care has played in their education and their child’s development. On May 2, Senator Murray met with a group of parents in recovery from substance misuse and heard stories of their experiences navigating the child welfare system and its impact on their addiction. In her work to increase access to affordable, high-quality child care and stem the tide of the opioid epidemic, Senator Murray has traveled extensively throughout Washington state, listening to stories from people closest to these issues and meeting with experts to explore best practices for tackling these challenges in communities throughout Washington state and around the country.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT the Opioid Crisis Recovery Act, READ THE ONE-PAGER HERE. READ THE BILL TEXT HERE.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT the Child Care for Working Families Act, READ THE ONE-PAGER HERE. READ THE BILL TEXT HERE.
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