Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mr. KAINE. Mr. President. With a growing number of older adults and people with disabilities in the U.S., our Nation is becoming increasingly reliant on the direct care workforce and family caregivers who support older adults and people with disabilities. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this need.

The direct care workforce, such as direct support workers, home care workers, personal care workers or other paid workers who support older adults and people with disabilities in their homes and communities, has long experienced staffing shortages in part because of low wages and high turnover. Currently, 4.5 million workers--including nearly 2.3 million home care workers--make up the direct care workforce, and this industry is expected to grow by more than a million jobs by 2028, not including the jobs that will need to be filled as existing workers leave the field or exit the labor force. The shortage of direct care workers often puts pressure on family caregivers. The number of American caregivers providing unpaid caregiving has increased over the past 5 years, and 23 percent of caregivers say that caregiving has made their health worse.

Today, I am pleased to introduce the Supporting Our Direct Care Workforce and Family Caregivers Act along with my colleagues Senators Bob Casey, Maggie Hassan, Tammy Duckworth, Jack Reed, Ron Wyden, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Jacky Rosen. Our legislation would direct the Department of Health and Human Services, through the Administration on Community Living (ACL), to award grants to states or other eligible entities for initiatives to build, retain, train and educate, and promote the direct care workforce, including self-directed workers and direct care supervisors or managers, and to provide education and training support for family caregivers to help ease stresses associated with caregiving. Grants could be used for preapprenticeship and on-the- job training opportunities, apprenticeship programs, career ladders or pathways, specializations or certification or other activities to recruit and retain direct care professionals in the field. Additionally, the bill creates a technical assistance center at ACL to bolster coordination across Federal agencies, provide consultation to States, and make policy recommendations to support the direct care workforce and family caregivers.

The bill aligns with President Biden's American Jobs Plan, which calls for substantial investments to meet the demand for home and community-based services and invests in our country's care infrastructure. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to see the Supporting Our Direct Care Workforce and Family Caregivers Act as an opportunity to invest in the direct care workforce and family caregivers--both critical pieces of the care team who provide support for millions of Americans every day, ensuring they can live their lives independently and with dignity.

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