Kirsten Gillibrand’s ‘Family Bill of Rights’ Seeks to Level the Playing Field

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/27/us/politics/kirsten-gillibrand-women-family.html

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In May, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York unveiled her “Family Bill of Rights,” a set of policy proposals aimed at easing the financial strain on parents of young children. The policies, which she said she would enact in her first 100 days if elected president, fits with her campaign’s focus on women and families.

The plan invests heavily in maternal and children’s health. Among other things, it calls for a national paid family leave program, the distribution of starter kits for an infant’s first month at home and a variety of tax credits to help families.

The program would be financed by a weekly payroll tax of about $2, and employers would also contribute.

In the Senate, some of Ms. Gillibrand’s biggest fights have been around securing greater protections for women who are victims of sexual assault. By highlighting that history and developing policy proposals like the Family Bill of Rights, Ms. Gillibrand has sought to position herself as a leader of an uprising of women who helped Democrats take back the House in 2018.

Ms. Gillibrand likes to say that she is running for president because shes wants to “fight for everyone’s families like I fight for my own,” and her Family Bill of Rights is an attempt to fulfill that pledge.

Passing a payroll tax is easier said than done.

It is not yet clear whether Ms. Gillibrand’s strategy of running an unabashedly feminist campaign will resonate with a broad swath of the electorate.