With child care costs spiraling out of control, Marsha Griffin calls on State Rep. Terri Bryant to stand with working families and override SB 730 veto

Carbondale – On Friday, Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed Senate Bill 730, which would have made child care affordable for tens of thousands of additional families and created thousands of jobs.

SB 730, which passed with large majorities in the General Assembly, would have started to repair the Child Care Assistance Program after Bruce Rauner unilaterally cut thousands of working parents out of the program and eliminated child care entirely for parents who are in school or training. Recent figures from the state show that the parents of over 55,000 children lost child care as a result of these draconian cuts.

SB 730 would have immediately restored child care to parents who are in school or experiencing homelessness while boosting the local economy through a gradual expansion of affordable child care to tens of thousands of additional families.

Child care costs in Illinois consume a huge share of family income: a year of infant care in Illinois costs more than a year of in-state tuition or a year of rent. The child care expansion legislation would have put an estimated $150 million back into the hands of working families who are currently paying out of pocket or have left the workforce in order to cover the cost of private care.

Yet State Representative Terri Bryant sided with Bruce Rauner’s failed leadership and disordered priorities by voting no on SB 730. Democratic challenger Marsha Griffin today called on the Rauner-backed incumbent to stand with working families and override the veto in the fall.

“Too many Southern Illinoisan working families are struggling to make ends meet, from housing to child care to higher education. Senate Bill 730 would have made child care affordable for tens of thousands of additional families. But instead of siding with families in Southern Illinois to create jobs and boost our local economy, Terri Bryant sided with our billionaire, union-busting governor. She has a chance to make this right by voting to override the veto in the fall, said Griffin.

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