New York, NY – Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan) today announced that her bill (A.1108-B/S.2680-A) to allow candidates for office to use campaign funds for childcare expenses for any lawful purpose related to an election campaign, as well as the holding of a public office or party position.

“‘Run, momma, run,’ is the rallying cry for the cadre of women and mothers who are considering and running for elective office. This law will encourage more women to run for office, ensuring that legislators begin to look more like the communities they represent. By making child care an allowable campaign expense, we pay more than mere lip service to that reality, and begin dismantling some of the institutional barriers that women and mothers continue to face,” said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan).

Currently a record 70 women serve in the New York State Legislature, representing approximately 33% of both houses. On a national level, women occupy nearly 24% of seats in the United States Congress, a historic high, even when considering that women comprise nearly 51% of the total United States population. In recent years, record numbers of women have run for office at all levels of government, but those who have children face unique challenges as child care responsibilities still fall disproportionately on women’s shoulders.

The bill was sponsored in the Senate by Shelley Mayer.

“Having children should never be a barrier to running for office,” said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan). “No one brave enough to seek office should have to bow out of their campaign because they can’t afford childcare. In fact, we need more mothers in office working to address the high costs of childcare and other issues that they, as mothers, are uniquely situated to address. This legislation will help level the playing field and ensure that those with children, regardless of gender, are provided a fair opportunity to run for office.”

Former Congressional candidate Liuba Grechen Shirley became the first woman in history to receive approval in 2018 from the Federal Election Commission to spend campaign funds on child care expenses.

“I am thrilled that Governor Cuomo has signed the bill introduced by Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal and State Senator Shelley Mayer to allow the use of campaign funds for childcare. This is a crucial step toward making running for office more accessible to working parents. New York now joins 11 states in allowing the use of campaign funds for childcare. When I ran for Congress against Peter King my children were 1 and 3, and even while running for Congress I was the primary childcare provider. When I put my request into the Federal Election Commission to use my campaign funds for childcare I was worried that they wouldn’t grant my request and that I and so many other working parents running for office wouldn’t be able to continue our races and cover the cost of childcare without a salary. Taking time off from work to run for office is expensive, and if we want more working parents in office who will fight for affordable childcare, paid family leave, and other family-friendly policies, we need to allow candidates to use their campaign funds on childcare,” said Liuba Grechen Shirley, mother of two, former Congressional candidate and Founder of Vote Mama US.