Bills designed to take child care needs into account when examining parents’ unemployment and social services claims have passed in the Assembly with support from Assemblywoman Addie Russell, D-Theresa.

A bill intended to ensure childcare needs are taken into account when evaluating an unemployment insurance claim efforts to find work (A.4780). Russell, whose district includes towns bordering the St. Lawrence River plus Canton, Potsdam Rossie, Macomb and Depeyster, was a co-sponsor of the bill.

The assemblywoman said the bill would require childcare responsibilities be taken into consideration when determining if claimants are meeting the requirements to make a sustained and systematic approach to find new employment.

"People who are on unemployment should not have to fear losing their unemployment benefits because they can't afford child care anymore and need to find work while taking care of their children," Russell said.

She also co-sponsored legislation allowing child care providers to post their participation in training programs and credentials on the state Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) website (A.1864).

The legislative package also includes a measure requiring local social services districts to provide a child care subsidy for parents who work late or overnight shifts and meet income requirements (A.775-B).

This ensures that parents are not forced to choose between providing child care and getting necessary sleep, Russell said.

"You should be able to receive child care assistance even if you have to work the night shift," she said.

In addition, the Assembly passed a bill to ensure workers who leave a job because of child care obligations and make reasonable efforts to find alternative care are not denied unemployment benefits (A.7004).

"There are times when parents lose their child care provider and are forced to leave their jobs to care for their children. There should be flexibility in the law so parents unable to find another child care provider are eligible for unemployment benefits until they are able to find an alternative option. I know the search for child care can be challenging in rural areas like the North Country," she said.

"I know many families with young children in the North Country are living paycheck to paycheck. Those families shouldn't be forced to choose between making sure their children have appropriate care and living in poverty," Russell said,

“Many parents find the cost of child care is higher than the income they can make in the workforce. For them, affordable child care is as an absolute necessity,” she added. “I will continue to fight for New York working families to ensure everyone has the opportunity to achieve economic success