“At this time of acute crisis for working families, with women, moms and moms of color suffering outsized health and economic harm from the pandemic, we applaud the Washington State Senate for passing two bills that, if they become law, will help build a stronger, more fair economic infrastructure for the state’s families. Together, the new excise tax on extraordinary profits from capital gains and the Fair Start for Kids Act will help combat structural racism and sexism in our state and spur a just recovery from the pandemic.

“For much too long, Washington’s working families have struggled under a regressive, upside-down tax code that taxes workers with low incomes, many of whom are Black, Indigenous, people of color, at a much higher rate than wealthy households. The capital gains tax would help fix this shameful problem. This popular measure would make possible much-needed investments in child care, a Working Families Tax Credit, and more, and build the robust safety net families need now more than ever. It would jumpstart our economic recovery and help us avoid the mistakes of the last recession by protecting against budget shortfalls when federal recovery aid ends.

“The bold child care investments in the Fair Start for Kids Act would be a major win for children, families, businesses and our economy.

"The pandemic has exacerbated Washington’s long-standing child care crisis, and many parents, especially Black and Latina moms, have been pushed out of the workforce as a result. By expanding child care assistance and preschool services to serve more families and reducing burdensome co-payments, this legislation would boost families’ economic security, help parents access the child care they need to hold jobs, and give Washington’s youngest learners the high-quality early education they deserve. This robust legislation also includes much-needed rate increases for providers, who frequently serve their communities at the expense of their own economic security. .

“We owe these historic victories to a diverse coalition of parents, advocates, and legislators, in particular Senator June Robinson, Senator Claire Wilson, and Representative Tana Senn. We also recognize the work of  former Representative Kristine Reeves, who laid the foundation for the Fair Start for Kids Act with her Washington Child Care Access Now Act in 2019. We urge the State House to pass these bills as well, and Gov. Inslee to sign them into law. Our state deserves an equitable recovery and an economy that works for all of us.”