Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - Hillary Clinton: Addressing the Needs of Families as They Care for Parents and Children

NH for Hillary Announces Over 3,500 Women for Hillary

MANCHESTER, NH - As Senator Clinton attends "Moms and Daughters Making History" events in the Granite State today with her own mother Dorothy Rodham, and daughter, Chelsea Clinton, the New Hampshire for Hillary campaign announced the names of over 3,500 Women for Hillary. With less than 20 days until the primary, the announcement is yet another sign of the momentum the Clinton campaign continues to build across the state.

"Hillary Clinton is the leader that America so desperately needs right now. She has promised to stop the war in Iraq, and I feel that she will be effective in finding solutions to the problems that face our great country, not the least of which is health care," said Patricia Cummings of Concord. "Hillary is the kind of person who will stand up for what she believes. These are just a few reasons I have chosen Hillary as my candidate for president of the United States."

As President, Senator Clinton will work to address the needs of families as they care for parents and children.

"I was proud to be a ‘working mom' and I'm now a proud ‘working daughter.' I'm grateful that my family could make the choices that were right for us. And that's what I want for all families: that same opportunity to make the choices that work for them."

Media interested in obtaining a complete list of all the Women for Hillary should contact the New Hampshire for Hillary press office at nhpress@hillaryclinton.com, or at (603) 782-4647.

Today, Hillary Clinton outlined her agenda to ease the burden on families that are struggling to balance caring for elderly parents, spouses and children, while meeting their job obligations. Maintaining this balance is a growing practical and financial struggle. Today's parents have 22 fewer hours to spend with their children. Two-thirds of working parents say they do not have enough time with their children. And with a growing elderly population, many of these working parents are finding themselves in the "sandwich generation," providing care not only as "working parents" but as "working children" for their own parents as well. Out-of-pocket costs for families with long-term caregiving responsibilities have skyrocketed to $5,531 per year - more than what most of these families spend on their own health care. Burdened with both long-term care and child care costs, many caregivers are dipping into their retirement savings or forgoing health care coverage for themselves.

Hillary Clinton understands the need to ease the burdens on these families. Americans are working harder for less pay and feeling increasingly overwhelmed as they struggle to balance work and family. With sound policies and sensible investments, Hillary will provide people more choices to make the decisions that are best for them. Hillary's plan for caregivers will offer:

• A New $3,000 Caregiving Tax Credit: Hillary will offer a new $3,000 Caregiving Tax Credit to any person with substantial long-term care needs or to their caregivers. On average, unpaid caregivers pay more than $5,000 in out-of-pocket costs, often dipping into their savings or forgoing their own health care. The credit will not require a complex accounting of out-of-pocket costs, but instead would be available directly to any individuals with substantial long-term care needs or their caregivers.
   New Hampshire: Hillary's Caregiver Tax Credit will provide generous new assistance to at least 20,000 New Hampshire residents. [CRS, 2007; Census 2007]
• A New Long-Term Care Insurance Tax Credit: Hillary will offer a new tax credit to help those planning for their long-term care needs afford high-quality insurance policies that are right for them. This new tax credit will cover 75 percent of long-term care insurance premiums up to $1,500 per year for qualified long-term care insurance policies that meet strong new consumer protection requirements. The credit will reward middle-class families that take steps to prepare for their long-term care needs.
   New Hampshire: Hillary's new Long Term Care Insurance Tax Credit will benefit at least 45,000 New Hampshire seniors and near-retirees. [www.ahipresearch.org (p. 27)].
• Stepped Up Support for Unpaid Family Caregivers: Hillary understands that the heroic work of caregiving can take its toll. By providing temporary relief and counseling for caregivers, we will improve the quality of life of those they care for. As President, Hillary will invest an additional $300 million per year in the Lifespan Respite Caregiver Act and the National Family Caregiver Support Program.
• Paid Family Leave by 2016: Hillary will set a bold goal of having paid leave for all American workers by 2016. She will reach that goal first by expanding the Family Medical Leave Act to cover employers with 25 or more workers, a change that will provide legal protection for unpaid leave to 13 million additional workers. Second, Hillary will commit $1 billion per year for a Family Leave Innovation Fund to support the establishment and expansion of state-level leave programs for new parents and those caring for their aging parents.
   New Hampshire: In New Hampshire, this proposal could impact approximately 500,000 private-sector workers - 91 percent of all private-sector workers - who do not have paid family leave. [National Partnership for Women & Families]
• Guaranteed Access to Sick Days for All Americans: Hillary is proposing to make seven sick days a year - to care for yourself or your children - standard. When people go to work ill or worry about their sick child, they make other people sick and they run the risk of affecting the productivity of the organization as a whole.
   New Hampshire: In New Hampshire, this proposal could impact approximately 263,000 workers (42% of the private and public workforce) who currently do not have sick days. [National Partnership for Women & Families]
• Increased Support for Child Care: Hillary has worked to expand access and improve quality of child care in our country for decades. The Bush Administration has essentially frozen the level of child care funding for the last eight years. As a result, the real purchasing power of child care subsidies has fallen significantly. According to the Bush Administration's own estimates, 300,000 children will lose child care assistance by 2010, and 150,000 have already lost child care assistance since 2000. Hillary believes we need to increase child care funding through the Child Care and Development Block Grant and return the program to it's original intent: to serve working families.