More Than Breakfast In Bed: A Legislative Agenda for Moms

I love celebrating Mother's Day. Since I was a kid, it was a special day to tell my Mother and Grandmother how much I love them. Now that I'm a Mom, it is a special day to spend with my children.

In our busy lives, these special days are so important. But this year, with the difficult economy posing challenges for all families, our mothers need more than just attention on Mother's Day. They need a legislative agenda that enables them to thrive - creating economic opportunities for women, protecting the health and safety of mothers and children, and supporting the work women do to build strong, successful families.

First, because of bad Bush policies, single moms and dads who receive child support will be forced to pay a financial penalty to pay the overhead for receiving child support.

This is the wrong approach. We should not be balancing the budget on the backs of single mothers. That's why the first legislation I authored in the Senate was to eliminate the tax levied against single moms and dads on their child support checks. This measure would immediately put extra money in the pockets of at least 170,000 New York families.

Second, all parents deserve to know that the products they use for their children are safe. When I read a recent report about trace amounts of probable human carcinogens and irritants being found in baby shampoos, lotions, and other products, like many parents, I immediately began to worry. I have some of these same products in my bathroom at home, and I've used them on my children their entire lives. No mother should have to worry if the baby shampoo she uses on her children is safe.

That is why I've authored the Safe Baby Products Act, which will require the FDA to investigate the safety of these products, publicly report the findings, and establish manufacturing practices that will reduce or eliminating any harmful chemicals.

Third, every minute of every day, a woman somewhere in the world dies in childbirth or from complications arising from pregnancy or childbirth. Every year, a million children are left motherless because of maternal mortality. You might be tempted to believe that maternal mortality exists almost exclusively in developing nations. But on the contrary, the measured U.S. maternal mortality ratio is one of the highest among industrialized nations and the Centers for Disease Control estimates that the actual level of maternal deaths in the U.S. is 1.3 to 3 times higher than the reported rate.

As a Mom and a lawmaker, I believe it is outrageous that so many of these deaths could easily have been prevented. In the coming weeks, I will be introducing new legislation with my friend and colleague Congresswoman Lois Capps, to invest in prevention and emergency care to protect the health and safety of millions of new mothers here at home and around the world.

Lastly, I'm hopeful that in the face of the worst economy of our lives, Congress moves immediately to ensure equal economic opportunity for women by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act.

The average woman makes just 78 cents for every dollar a man earns. The disparity is even greater for women of color, with African-American women making just 62 cents and Hispanic women making just 53 cents for every dollar a man makes.

Women and families deserve more. When mothers earn their fair share, young children have greater access to quality health care, educational opportunities, and safe communities. By ending the wage gap, we will help ensure that every child can achieve his or her God-given potential.

Mothers around the country and around the world deserve all the special attention this weekend, but they also deserve action in Washington on a legislative agenda that will help them succeed.

Comments

[BookQueen]

What I would like to see as a mom is real recognition of the work we do. At-home moms should get Social Security credit and tax breaks for the work we do. Don't just pay for day care for moms who work outside of the home, pay moms who take care of their own kids!

And let's make it a real choice for all moms. Pay workers well enough for one parent to stay home. Provide good part-time jobs with benefits so moms or dads can choose to work part-time. Give parents who take time out good ways in and out of the workplace. Provide real universal health care insurance so you don't get couples where one parent is just working outside the home for the health insurance. Give poor moms with kids under six the option to stay home.

Show we really care about children and quality care by supporting moms and dads who are child care workers.

[The Albany Kid]

Niece piece, Senator Gillibrand.

As an Albany guy, I'd like to wish you the best of luck in your career! :-)

[CelticDragon]

Agree. Good for you, Senator.

[zizyphus]

In a civilized country, the government would support the mother through the first year, and make sure the future citizen has a good start in life. In a civilized nation, the government would offer as much free education as it took to make the citizen productive. It is in the nation's best interest. The cost would be minimal compared to the cost of incarceration or institutio­nalization­.

[BookQueen]

The big government long-term child care study found that when moms didn't work at all for the first nine months of a child's life, the kids had higher I.Q.s Paid maternity leave for nine months could actually raise the intelligence of our nation.

[porthuronpunk]

Perhaps another suggestion­....unmarr­ied, teen aged girls keep there legs closed, finish school and gain an employable skill before becoming a mother. Not only would this likely "raise the national IQ" it would also lower maternal mortality and cut into the female/male wage issue. Unfortunatly, the downside to this proposal is it leaves the government out of it.

[Y3rMawm]

Dear Senator,

Please refer The Constitution. Regardless of the emotional case made on behalf of the children, none of this is allowed. While I am sure you are well intended (building block for the road to hell), the path you support bears the distinct mark of corporate interests. These "laws", which are counter to the rule of law, will ultimately endanger, and impoverish those you seek to help.

Equal pay won't matter when there are NO jobs, because we have chased business out this country with this so-called Paycheck Fairness Act. The FDA brought us such gems as Vioxx, and Fake sugar. Meantime, they forbid labeling 100% natural, non-caloric Stevia as a sweetener. Children are more likely orphaned because of the FDA, and the products they already declared as "safe" You wish to further empower them?

No, we do need more government. We do need to be informed, but government is incapable of helping us accomplish that goal. Let's instead talk...no let's strive...for a future where both parent's don't have to work, are given the gift of time (every individual's most valuable commodity), and are able to seek out best products, education, and interaction for their own families.

[liveandlearn]

y3yrmawm, YOU may be an anarchist (or libertarian), but i believe that the government works with the people to produce a society that works for us. the senator is proposing specific measures, such as removing the automatic tax on a single parent. and you oppose this provision why? dutch mothers get personal help by a nurse for the first little while, and the nurse does laundry and cooks as well as teaches the mother how to care for the baby. wouldn't it be interesting to study the relative frequency of post-partum depression there and here?

[dreadylocks]

If you're going to legislate safety for new mothers and birthing, which I totally support, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE include (or at least don't block) alternative health care. I don't want to be forced to see a western doctor or have a child in a hospital.

Thanks for the great article!

[urweatherman]

Good points one and all. Just goes to show that alot of women in this country are under the wrong tent. Its the GOP that represents these same ideas and has the bigger tent for differing ideals and viewpoints. The dems just have one tent...for those who wish to delegate responsiblity, tax and spend finacial polices, and unrealized rhetoric. Its time the nation realizes that its the GOP that would best represent all of us!

[zizyphus]

"Responsibility" is a word the right uses as code for 'let the poor people starve'. Their fantasy decrees that every person must shift for themselves. In the real world, we know that this is not possible.

The right (now representing the interests of large corporations mainly) wants to use the working poor - as cannon fodder, as domestic cattle, as voters, but doesn't feel any responsibility toward the workers they so willingly exploit.

They have done nothing to advance the cause of women.

[confidance government]

Of course democrats would never view the consituents as saps, they're infallible after all.

[KIVPossum]

Just because a woman is a mother shouldn't entitle her to any preferential treatment. Everyone deserves affordable health care, everyone deserves to know what the products they buy are safe. As to tax breaks on child support - why? It's income. If you want to give breaks for every group who needs extra money, how about including some provisions for the families who have someone moonlighting to make ends meet, or the divorce dad working a second job to make his support payments?

Singleing out women, specifically mothers, for preferential consideration under the law smacks of chauvanism.

[dreadylocks]

Well it is Mother's Day.

[Bethab]

Not all women are mothers and not all families include children under 18 years of age. If you want to help all people with health care and family aid, I'm all for it. Otherwise, mothers are not a protected class in this country.

[CalverH]

By protecting the mothers, you protect the children care provider ... therefore, the children.

[Bethab]

It's not my responsibility to protect anyone's children.

[Queens]

Reading the Senator's proposed legislative agenda reminds me why many of us worked so hard to have greater numbers of women in the leadership of this country. It's not that men don't care, it's that women see these issues as priorities --- as great as we see security and peace. NY is so lucky to have a bright, energetic Senator who represents all of us, mothers and others, and the issues we hold dear. Queens

[Donkslayer]

I was expecting this post to talk about 100 paid days off a year to play with the kids, subsidized everything, etc....instead the ideas put forth are good ones, mostly within the realm of what the federal gov's role should cover. Nicely done, Senator.

I have one concern though, that maybe the posters here can help me out with. When there are fair pay acts (and I'm not picking on women, it could be any sort of pay-alignment legislation/law), does that pretty much take away the ability for a prospective employee to negotiate things like salary, vacation, benefits, etc before coming on? Say a high-flying sales person is looking to switch companies, but they want a compensation package that exceeds anyone currently working for the new employer; would laws like the one proposed prevent that, or force the employer to bring the other "groups" of employees the same money, even if they won't produce as much for the company?

[eleanorr]

It's about time we had a young Mom in the US Senate who understands the challenges that families are facing in this dangerous world. It's enough that Americans must worry about "loose bombs", nuclear attack, global warming, and economic collapse - mothers should not also have to lose sleep over American products that are hazardous to their kids. And, who would have thought that maternal mortality is still so high in the US! Thank you, Senator Gillibrand, for shining a spotlight on these issues and, more, for taking action to do something about them!

[-swift]

Cathy Young, in a recent article in Reason, wrote: "Numerous studies show that when differences in training, work hours, and continuity of employment are taken into account, the pay gap all but disappears. Most economists, including liberal feminists such as Harvard's Claudia Goldin, agree that while sex discrimination exists, male-female disparities in earnings and achievement are due primarily to personal choices and priorities. Women are far more likely than men to avoid jobs with 60-hour workweeks and to scale down their careers while raising children. They are also more likely to choose less lucrative but more fulfilling jobs."

The full article is at http://www.reason.com/news/show/132473.html

When discussing wage gap, I believe the most fair assessment would be to compare the amount men and women make for the same work. When you do that, the gap is more like 98%, and shrinking.

[Donkslayer]

I would hope that any legislation proposed would take into consideration time worked, accomplishments, etc. Am I naive to think so?

[gargravarr]

But that is not the whole story.
Professions which are mainly chosen by women are paid less even if they are as demanding as or even more than "masculin" jobs. The bias is not toward a person but toward jobs that are seen as feminine while ignoring their importance - here, the labour market does not work as a market. To me it seems to be downright wrong to blame that statistical fact on singular, personal decisions.
And on the other hand: Women as a whole are better educated and get better grades at school - and still there is this gap. (In other countries, e.g. Germany, there still is a pay gap of 10-15% EVEN if you take part time work, working field and education into account).

[LoyalOpposition]

As a mother and grandmother, I would like to thank you for your ideas. I hope that you will consider expanding your legislative efforts to gun control.

[Teddie R4]

Yes, let’s have some legislative action as well as the lilacs and roses for mom.

Senator Gillibrand’s list of agenda items is right on target and much needed if we truly want to honor mom and women. It is not a full list, but it is a good start.

To Diana – to consider these items does not mean to exclude men, war, economy or any other issue.
I think the point of the Senator’s posting is simply to call attention to Mother’s Day and to consider a broader concept of what respecting mom and women should embrace.

[000Jade000]

Speaking of mothers, children, fathers, and families, how about some legislation that better protects us from swine flu outbreaks? Most everybody who knows anything about industrial farming believes that the swine flu originated in the Smithfield Foods pig farm in Mexico. The federal government--we the taxpayers--should not be spending $1.5 billion to clean up their mess. Smithfield has a history of dodging regulations--that's why they are in Mexico, Poland, and elsewhere in the first place. Perhaps if they can't handle new regulations, we ought to scrap industrial farming all together. Then our families could eat healthier foods, small farmers could re-emerge, and the environment wouldn't be so savagely destroyed for generations of Americans.

[Donkslayer]

You have a separate agenda from preventing swine flu; thousands die each year in the US from regular flu.