This week, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) announced its support for one new bill that would benefit family caregivers. In addition, key Social Security legislation gained critical support from lawmakers in both the House and the Senate.
TSCL Endorses New Caregiving Bill
This week, TSCL announced its support for the Credit for Caring Act (H.R. 4708), a bipartisan bill that was recently introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Tom Reed (NY-23) and Rep. Linda Sánchez (CA-38). If signed into law, the bill would provide eligible caregivers with a new tax credit equal to 30 percent of all expenses greater than $2,000, capped at $3,000 per year.
Upon introducing the bill, Rep. Sánchez said, “This is more than just another tax credit. This is about how we can help older adults and people with disabilities live independently in their own homes and communities. This legislation will help alleviate some of the burden on family caregivers by providing a tax credit for services such as home care and adult day care. I am proud to work with Rep. Tom Reed to find a bipartisan solution to help families across this country care for their loved ones.”
TSCL agrees with Rep. Sánchez, and we enthusiastically lend our support to the Credit for Caring Act. In a letter to Reps. Sánchez and Reed, Ed Cates – Chairman of TSCL’s Board of Trustees – wrote, “Expenses are growing at an alarming rate for millions of American caregivers. When family caregivers don’t receive the support they need, they often must leave their jobs, take on significant debt, or move their loved ones out of their homes and into costly assisted living facilities. TSCL and its members believe the growing problem must be addressed as soon as possible.”
We look forward to working with Reps. Sánchez and Reed in the months ahead to help build support for their important new bill. In the meantime, we will be posting updates about its progress on Capitol Hill on our Twitter and Facebook pages, and here in the Legislative News section of our website.
Key Bill Gains Support
This week, two new cosponsors – Sen. Kristin Gillibrand (NY) and Rep. Peter Welch (VT-1) – signed on to the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 1651 and H.R. 973). The cosponsor totals are now up to 23 in the Senate and 141 in the House.
If adopted, the bill would repeal two Social Security provisions – the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) – that unfairly reduce or eliminate the earned benefits of millions of retired teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other state or local government employees across the country. TSCL believes the GPO and the WEP must be repealed as soon as possible so that public servants receive the retirement security they deserve. We are committed to advocating for the Social Security Fairness Act tirelessly on Capitol Hill in the months ahead.
