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Senate Concurrent Resolution 104 - Introduced
A Concurrent Resolution 1calling upon the President of
2the United States, the United States Congress, the
3Governor, the executive branch of Iowa, and the Iowa
4General Assembly to work to improve communities by
5bolstering the care workforce.
6WHEREAS, Iowans value care and caregiving and
7recognize that the ability to care for one another
8is the connective tissue of society, forming and
9strengthening familial and community relationships, and
10enabling people to participate to their fullest extent
11in growing the economy;and
12WHEREAS, people providing care services have
13been at the forefront of the COVID-19 crisis and are
14increasingly recognized as essential workers who are
15vital to the state and country’s infrastructure;and
16WHEREAS, social and economic forces, including the
17ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, have irreversibly changed
18how our families live, work, and provide care;and
19WHEREAS, Iowa, with its large senior population
20and number of families where both parents are in the
21workforce, has a particular need for a strong care
22infrastructure to enable all Iowans to live in dignity
23and contribute to their communities and economy;and
24WHEREAS, the needs of people with disabilities
25have long been overlooked or marginalized in policy
26solutions, often resulting in the inability to access
-1-1vital services and support necessary for maintaining
2independence and dignity;and
3WHEREAS, the need for a care workforce, including
4child care, home and community care, and long-term
5care, will only grow over time and represents a source
6of employment at a time when many current jobs are
7subject to automation;and
8WHEREAS, the care workforce requires public sector
9recognition, support, and investment to fulfill its
10roles, but for too long has been taken for granted
11and seriously under-resourced, under-invested, and
12under-compensated;and
13WHEREAS, investing in the care workforce can be
14a key community-building strategy in both urban and
15rural communities for women and people of color, who
16are currently the people most likely to serve care
17workforce roles and are most subject to economic
18disadvantage and the impacts of COVID-19;and
19WHEREAS, the care workforce undergirds our economy
20and is the work that makes all other work possible;NOW
21THEREFORE,
22BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, THE HOUSE OF
23REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, That the General Assembly
24of the State of Iowa calls upon the President of the
25United States and the United States Congress to place
26the strengthening of the care workforce as a high
27priority and build upon actions in the American Rescue
28Plan Act to allow for permanent increased funding of
29the care workforce, including enhanced funding for home
30and community-based services under Medicaid, funding
-2-1for community health care workers, funding to make
2child care and preschool affordable to all families,
3and funding to provide living wages for all those
4providing care services;and
5BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the General Assembly
6of the State of Iowa calls upon the President of
7the United States and the United States Congress to
8establish an essential worker bill of rights which
9gives particular recognition to the ongoing and
10post-pandemic needs of people in the care workforce as
11they are essential to the economy;and
12BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the General Assembly
13of the State of Iowa calls upon the President of the
14United States and the United States Congress to work
15to enact and implement necessary legislation for
16a 21st century caregiving and education plan which
17explicitly addresses the need for expanding access to a
18broad array of long-term services and support in local
19settings, ensures access to high-quality, affordable
20child care and preschool, treats professional
21caregivers and early childhood caregivers with respect
22and dignity, gives care workforce personnel pay and
23benefits they deserve, and provides for training and
24career ladders to higher-paying jobs;and
25BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the General Assembly
26of the State of Iowa calls upon the Governor and
27the executive branch to collaborate with the General
28Assembly to develop a state structure for effective
29implementation of federal investments in the care
30workforce and ensure strong oversight, transparency,
-3-1and accountability;and
2BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Iowa General
3Assembly calls upon the Governor and the executive
4branch to ensure representation and participation of
5those in the care workforce and the people they serve
6in the implementation, planning, and oversight of
7federal investments in the care workforce;and
8BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the General Assembly
9of the State of Iowa calls upon the Governor and
10the executive branch to collaborate with the General
11Assembly to ensure that Iowa Workforce Development,
12the Department of Education, the Department of Public
13Health, the Department of Inspections and Appeals,
14the Department of Human Services, and the Department
15on Aging, including Future Ready Iowa, place critical
16importance on the care workforce as a part of the
17state’s economy, report on their efforts to build
18support for the care workforce, and take action with
19assistance from the public to strengthen the care
20workforce so it can provide the vast array of care
21services Iowa will sorely need in the near future;and
22BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That upon passage of
23this resolution, the Secretary of the Senate shall
24transmit copies of this resolution to the President
25of the United States, the President of the United
26States Senate, the Speaker of the United States
27House of Representatives, and each member of Iowa’s
28congressional delegation.
-4-dg/rn
A Concurrent Resolution 1calling upon the President of
2the United States, the United States Congress, the
3Governor, the executive branch of Iowa, and the Iowa
4General Assembly to work to improve communities by
5bolstering the care workforce.
6WHEREAS, Iowans value care and caregiving and
7recognize that the ability to care for one another
8is the connective tissue of society, forming and
9strengthening familial and community relationships, and
10enabling people to participate to their fullest extent
11in growing the economy;and
12WHEREAS, people providing care services have
13been at the forefront of the COVID-19 crisis and are
14increasingly recognized as essential workers who are
15vital to the state and country’s infrastructure;and
16WHEREAS, social and economic forces, including the
17ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, have irreversibly changed
18how our families live, work, and provide care;and
19WHEREAS, Iowa, with its large senior population
20and number of families where both parents are in the
21workforce, has a particular need for a strong care
22infrastructure to enable all Iowans to live in dignity
23and contribute to their communities and economy;and
24WHEREAS, the needs of people with disabilities
25have long been overlooked or marginalized in policy
26solutions, often resulting in the inability to access
-1-1vital services and support necessary for maintaining
2independence and dignity;and
3WHEREAS, the need for a care workforce, including
4child care, home and community care, and long-term
5care, will only grow over time and represents a source
6of employment at a time when many current jobs are
7subject to automation;and
8WHEREAS, the care workforce requires public sector
9recognition, support, and investment to fulfill its
10roles, but for too long has been taken for granted
11and seriously under-resourced, under-invested, and
12under-compensated;and
13WHEREAS, investing in the care workforce can be
14a key community-building strategy in both urban and
15rural communities for women and people of color, who
16are currently the people most likely to serve care
17workforce roles and are most subject to economic
18disadvantage and the impacts of COVID-19;and
19WHEREAS, the care workforce undergirds our economy
20and is the work that makes all other work possible;NOW
21THEREFORE,
22BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, THE HOUSE OF
23REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, That the General Assembly
24of the State of Iowa calls upon the President of the
25United States and the United States Congress to place
26the strengthening of the care workforce as a high
27priority and build upon actions in the American Rescue
28Plan Act to allow for permanent increased funding of
29the care workforce, including enhanced funding for home
30and community-based services under Medicaid, funding
-2-1for community health care workers, funding to make
2child care and preschool affordable to all families,
3and funding to provide living wages for all those
4providing care services;and
5BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the General Assembly
6of the State of Iowa calls upon the President of
7the United States and the United States Congress to
8establish an essential worker bill of rights which
9gives particular recognition to the ongoing and
10post-pandemic needs of people in the care workforce as
11they are essential to the economy;and
12BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the General Assembly
13of the State of Iowa calls upon the President of the
14United States and the United States Congress to work
15to enact and implement necessary legislation for
16a 21st century caregiving and education plan which
17explicitly addresses the need for expanding access to a
18broad array of long-term services and support in local
19settings, ensures access to high-quality, affordable
20child care and preschool, treats professional
21caregivers and early childhood caregivers with respect
22and dignity, gives care workforce personnel pay and
23benefits they deserve, and provides for training and
24career ladders to higher-paying jobs;and
25BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the General Assembly
26of the State of Iowa calls upon the Governor and
27the executive branch to collaborate with the General
28Assembly to develop a state structure for effective
29implementation of federal investments in the care
30workforce and ensure strong oversight, transparency,
-3-1and accountability;and
2BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Iowa General
3Assembly calls upon the Governor and the executive
4branch to ensure representation and participation of
5those in the care workforce and the people they serve
6in the implementation, planning, and oversight of
7federal investments in the care workforce;and
8BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the General Assembly
9of the State of Iowa calls upon the Governor and
10the executive branch to collaborate with the General
11Assembly to ensure that Iowa Workforce Development,
12the Department of Education, the Department of Public
13Health, the Department of Inspections and Appeals,
14the Department of Human Services, and the Department
15on Aging, including Future Ready Iowa, place critical
16importance on the care workforce as a part of the
17state’s economy, report on their efforts to build
18support for the care workforce, and take action with
19assistance from the public to strengthen the care
20workforce so it can provide the vast array of care
21services Iowa will sorely need in the near future;and
22BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That upon passage of
23this resolution, the Secretary of the Senate shall
24transmit copies of this resolution to the President
25of the United States, the President of the United
26States Senate, the Speaker of the United States
27House of Representatives, and each member of Iowa’s
28congressional delegation.
-4-dg/rn