Congressman Danny K. Davis In Support of the Build Back Better Act - November 18, 2021

Statement

I ran for Congress to help people in Chicago, in Illinois and across the country achieve the American dream. The Build Back Better Act represents a transformative investment in children, families, workers, businesses, and the planet that will improve health and well-being, advance economic and environmental justice, meaningfully address climate change, and grow our economy while asking the wealthiest and most secure to pay their fair share. The pandemic has harmed tens of millions of Americans - disproportionately hurting African Americans and other communities of color, women, seniors, and children. This bill meets immediate needs for food, shelter, medical care, and child care as well as long-term needs for quality education, good-paying jobs, safe roads and water, and a healthy environment. I am deeply proud that many priorities that I have championed are included in this historic bill.

It provides 4 weeks of paid family and medical leave for workers so that they do not face the inhumane choice of caring for loved ones or financial ruin. Lower-income workers and workers of color are much less likely to have any paid leave, yet are more likely to need it due to greater health challenges and less savings to weather caregiving without pay. As Chair of the Subcommittee with jurisdiction over paid leave, I have worked closely with Ways and Means Chairman Neal and advocates to shape this equity-generating, universal benefit.
The bill enhances the Earned Income Tax Credit to improve the economic well-being of millions of childless workers and noncustodial parents -- with new help for younger workers, foster and homeless youth, and seniors. I've fought for these improvements for over a decade via my Responsible Fatherhood Act. These changes will help 17 million adults nationwide and over 600,000 in Illinois.
It provides $2 billion to train workers with barriers to employment -- including people with records - for careers in the allied health professions. This provision will help Chicago State which has a stellar Health Profession Opportunity Grant program and expand programs like those offered by the Safer Foundation to help people with records become successful healthcare professionals.
It helps vulnerable students by making Pell non-taxable and removing the lifetime ban on the American Opportunity Tax Credit for past felony drug convictions.
It incents substantial private investment in solar energy that will reduce electricity costs for tens of millions of low-income individuals while making the air they breathe safer.
It contains strong labor provisions so that our investments in green energy benefit workers as well as businesses.
It includes $1 billion for to help justice-involved individuals obtain employment and training services via the Reentry Employment Opportunities Program. It makes sure that people leaving prison have Medicaid coverage to improve health and successful reentry.
It includes $2.5 billion for public health approaches to reduce community violence and advance trauma interventions, which I have championed via the RISE from Trauma Act.
It helps restore fairness to the tax code by rolling back the Republicans' punitive limit on the State and Local Tax deduction to hurt citizens in blue states like Illinois.
The pandemic hit Black renters with children especially hard,with 29 percent reporting that their household is not caught up on rent. Further, in 2020, Black and Latino families with children were more than twice as likely to suffer food insecurity as white households. The Build Back Better Act addresses racial and economic inequities for communities of color and rural and underserved communities. It dramatically reduces child poverty via a substantial Child Tax Credit, raising a projected 4.1 million children above the poverty line and cutting child poverty by more than 40 percent. In October alone, the advanced CTC gave caregivers in my Congressional District over $30 million to provide food, shelter, and other necessities for 121,000 children. This bill makes the largest investment in affordable housing and community development in half a century -- over $145 billion -- and it feeds the hungry with $10 billion for nutrition.

It makes Americans healthier by decreasing the cost of health insurance and medication, expanding medical services, investing $1 billion in community health centers, and providing tremendous funding to reduce health inequities.

It makes the largest investment in child care in our nation's history, saving most families more than half of their spending on child care. Further, it makes historic investments to care for seniors and individuals with disabilities so that they can receive care in their homes and communities, recognizing the need to care for our aging population.

It makes the largest expansion of free education since our country established public high schools a century ago. It provides universal and free preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds, promoting racial equity in education. In addition, it expands access to affordable higher education by increasing the Pell grants by $550 for more than 5 million students, creating grants to close the college completion gap, and investing in Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions, including Predominantly Black Institutions like Malcolm X, Olive-Harvey, and Chicago State.

This legislation invests billions in small businesses, including $1.6 billion for minority owned business and $105 million for education and financial assistance for the formerly-incarcerated to form businesses to create jobs in their communities. Further, it ensures the largest effort to combat climate change in American history.

I am honored to vote for this once-in-a-generation legislation. I came to Congress to make this type of momentous change. I urge my colleagues to pass it.

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