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

[darker]

U.S. Moms are raising future American taxpayers, future soldiers, future workers, future
healthcare professionals and much more!

USA has been A DIRTY REPUBLICAN RAT REPUBLICAN CONGRESS for years
refusing to support daycare for children, adequate education for our future workforce,
paid family leave, financial assistance programs, health programs, health insurance,
childcare, and the list goes on and on.

WHEN will congress see that moms and children are AN INVESTMENT in America's future?
Republicans ONLY CARE ABOUT their own NANNY STATE FOR THE RICH
and corporate welfare queens.

Republicans proved they are short-sighted pushers of RABID GREED, PROFITEERING FOR THE RICH.
Republicans don't care about anybody else, including middle and working class Americans.

[confidance government]

You have had Democrats in the House and Senate for the last 2 years and now you have complete control, go out and try to wow us, but we aren't expecting anything special. This is politics and governance, not candyland with free goodies to all; you have to have the money to fund these programs.

I'm just saying that taking money from everyone via taxation to give to a special select class of society, mother with children, is discrimination. Certain items are within the government's domain; national defense, courts, law enforcement, but wealth transfer shouldn't be. This proposal is essentially a bailout with a more agreeable demographic instead of banks.

[Handbasket]

I would add that mothers who drop out of the workplace should have some kind of social security payment made on their behalf while they are not working.

[cqyates]

Thank you so much for your focus on the politics of womanhood. Although as a single mother in GA I would add that we need more assistance to help working single mothers get food stamps and medicaid.

In the state of GA the income cut off for an adult (even a single mother with two kids) to receive medicaid is 500.00 a month. It is wrong. The working poor need help before they become the destitute.

[plaidsportcoat]

"single moms and dads who receive child support will be forced to pay a financial penalty to pay the overhead for receiving child support."
I live in Santa Cruz California. This has been happening for at least twenty years or more in California. So what else is new? Hope you FINALLY stop it. One good thing about having more and more women in high office is these things will be addressed.

[LondubhAlba]

Thank You, Senator..
We up here in the North Country feel you did and are doing a fine job of representing our values and concerns. I ,for one, am tickled with our new Rep., Scott Murphy. He has some big shoes to fill,but he's up to the job.

[RickyPoo]

God bless you, Sen. Gillibrand.

That was a beautiful post packed with great ideas and legislative proposals.

I will urge my Senators, Evan Bayh and Dick Lugar, to support them.

And Happy Mother's Day (a bit early I know).....

[Diana]

Nice thoughts, but what about other issues we New Yorkers feel are at least as important and a lot more immediate?

You're a conservative dem from upstate new york. Your new constitutients would like to hear your thoughts on:

--the Wall Street bailout
--universal healthcare
--torture
--the war in Iraq and the new inquisition into Afghanistan

[PJBroughton]

As the mother of both a single mom and and a single dad, I appreciate the Senator's efforts on behalf of all single working parents in this state. I wish to believe that we New Yorkers feel all issues are equally important, or at least that most of us do.

[000Jade000]

I'm a New Yorker, too, but I'm not going to get caught up in finding out what Senator Gillibrand's or anyone else's thoughts are. Actions matter. Watch the votes.

Now is the time for the Democratic party to prove itself, and to really show who they represent. For decades, we've heard our Dems say that they stand with us, and the only reason that such and such a piece of legislation didn't pass was because of Republican opposition, filibuster, etc. Well, the Dems are nearly in complete power now. They cannot get away with serving both corporate America and the working class, unions, and "middle America" families anymore. For all of the important legislation that Americans need passed, it's an either-or situation. The corporate lobbyists' interests stand in opposition to the American people's interests.
And if Democrats can't side with the people when they have the majority & White House; if they can't side with us during a time of economic disaster for American families . . . then I think we'll have our answer. And I think the Democratic party will suffer if it keeps siding with Wall Street and corporate America. The independents and Republicans who voted for Dems this time around won't stand for it, and neither will progressive Democrats. Hopefully, our representatives are smart enough to realize that we're not dumb enough to let them keep voting against us and/or keep watering down important legislation.