Issue Position: Women and Families

Issue Position

Senator Casey's top priority is the creation of family sustaining jobs. As the new Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, Senator Casey will continue this work while providing Pennsylvania with a stronger voice on job creation and economic policy. Senator Casey has voted to provide billions for tax cuts to encourage businesses to hire workers and has voted for legislation that provided tens of billions in capital for small businesses to expand their operations. Senator Casey has also been a strong critic of unfair trade policies that put American manufacturing at a disadvantage.

Senator Casey strives to ensure that the lives of our children can and will be better than our own lives. He is a nationally recognized advocate for children.

Ending the Gender Pay Gap

Senator Casey is concerned with the ongoing pay gap between men and women. In fact, since the adoption of the Equal Pay Act in 1963, women's earnings as a percentage of men's have narrowed by less than 20 percent. Today, women still earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts. Senator Casey is an original cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, (S.797), which would work to remedy the continuing discrepancy by increasing penalties for employers who pay different wages to men and women for "equal work," while adding programs for training, research, and technical assistance for organizations that promote pay equity.

Flexibility for Working Families

During the 111th Congress, Senator Casey sponsored the Working Families Flexibility Act (S.3840). The modern workforce includes a broad and diverse cross section of Americans--dual earner households, older workers, single parents, those working multiple jobs and more. The Working Families Flexibility Act would provide employees with more options to meet the needs of their individual situation. This bill would give employees the right to request flexible work options in terms of hours, schedules and work location. It also provides employers with flexibility by encouraging them to review these requests, propose changes and even deny them if they are not in the best interest of the business. Senator Casey plans to reintroduce the bill later this year.

Opportunities for Women Business Enterprises

Senator Casey is a champion for women and minority enterprises in the United States Senate. In March, an amendment introduced by Senator Casey was adopted to Small Business Innovation Research Act by a vote of 99-0. This bill is still being debated by the Senate. His amendment would require subcontractors identified on a solicitation for a competitive proposal made by an executive agency be notified by the prime contractor before the application is submitted, and establish a reporting mechanism that allows a subcontractor to report fraudulent activity by a contractor. This amendment is in direct response to concerns Senator Casey has heard from small businesses in Pennsylvania, in particular women business enterprises (WBEs) and minority business enterprises (MBEs).

In addition, Senator Casey strongly supported the passage of the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act in September 2010 which contains a provision that would allow the Small Business Administration (SBA) to ease funding requirements for Women's Business Centers and microloan intermediaries, which provide assistance to underserved communities to start and grow small businesses. This microloan program is estimated to create or save more than 10,000 jobs in Fiscal Year 2011.

Assistance for Pregnant Women

Senator Casey championed the inclusion of the Pregnancy Assistance Fund in the Affordable Care Act. This new law, which was based on legislation Senator Casey introduced in the 110th and 111th Congresses, provides $250 million for the next ten years to assist and support pregnant and parenting teens and college students. Additionally, this law will improve services for pregnant women who are victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, and stalking. It will also increase public awareness of the resources available to pregnant or parenting teens and women. This support will be provided in the form of grants to states, colleges and high schools, and local organizations to provide services to these women.

Combating Domestic and Sexual Violence

Senator Casey recently reintroduced the Campus SaVE Act (S.834) to address dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking on college campuses, which is a serious problem across the country. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 20 to 25 percent of female undergraduates will be the victim of sexual assault or attempted sexual assault in a given year. In nearly all cases, the perpetrator will be an acquaintance. The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination (SaVE) Act will close a serious gap in the law by requiring colleges and universities to clearly spell out their policies regarding sexual assault and intimate partner violence. The Campus SaVe Act will address sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and sexual assault, increasing awareness and prevention of these acts of violence by requiring transparency of information, prevention programs and assistance for victims.

Since taking office, Senator Casey has secured over $1.8 million for programs in Pennsylvania that aim to reduce domestic violence and sexual assault. These programs provide emergency services to victims and engage adults in reporting and intervening in child sexual abuse.

Championing Early Learning & Child Care

Senator Casey introduced the Supporting State Systems of Early Learning Act (S. 470) on March 3, 2011. Specifically, this legislation will help states such as Pennsylvania continue to raise the bar on program quality, improve workforce qualifications and create a seamless system of early care and learning that working families and children can rely upon. It will also make funds available on a competitive basis to states that have demonstrated the greatest progress in establishing a system of high-quality early learning. It will give priority to states that establish public-private partnerships and that leverage federal child care funds for the purposes of the Act and require that states provide a matching rate of 15 percent and an assurance that new funding will supplement and not supplant current funding used to support early learning programs.

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