Parents running for NJ office could pay for child care with campaign cash
NorthJersey.com - February 11, 2020
Parents running for political office in New Jersey may soon have some financial relief.
Candidates and public officeholders would be able to use campaign funds raised from donors to pay for certain child care expenses, under a bill, S698, the state Senate passed Monday, 35-0.
Lawmakers are trying to encourage more parents to serve in office that wouldn't normally have the time or resources to raise their children and travel the state drumming up support and attending campaign events.
“When the people crafting our laws more accurately reflect the people they represent, the outcomes are better for everyone," said Sen. Sandra Cunningham, D-Hudson. "For many working class New Jerseyans, especially women, running for office is simply not financially possible. This bill would ease the burden, enabling more people to pursue their dreams of running for office.”
New Jerseyans could use checks collected on the campaign trail for costs that exist only because of their political race or job. So, donor funds could be used to pay for a babysitter watching a child during a campaign event, or day care services a lawmaker previously didn't need because she worked from home and watched her child during the day.
The New Jersey Senate passed the bill, 33-0, last June, but members of the Assembly did not vote on the legislation before the session ended in January.
Only a handful of states, like Utah and Minnesota, explicitly allow officeholders to use campaign funds for child care, which New Jersey's legislation would allow. A handful of states allow campaign cash for candidates, including New York, New Hampshire, Colorado and Utah.
States across the country began considering similar bills after a New York congressional candidate asked the Federal Election Commission if she could use campaign money to pay a part-time babysitter to watch her young son and daughter.
Democrat Liuba Grechen Shirley, who lost her 2018 race in New York's 2nd District, did win a favorable opinion from the federal agency. In the 2018 cycle, at least 18 candidates took advantage of this new pot of money and spent a combined $32,000 on child care expenses.
Environmental activist Christine Clarke said she would champion the bill when she was challenging Assembly incumbents in the solidly-red 26th District, a 2019 legislative race she lost.
She entered the race for her four young children, hoping to push environmental policy to protect the planet for their future. But balancing her children's needs with the stresses of the campaign trail made running for office more complicated.
"If I had been able to rest assured that I could pay a babysitter to watch my children anytime I wanted to attend an event or make fundraising calls during my 2019 race, running for office would have been easier on my family and on me," Clarke said. "Instead, there were often scheduling conflicts caused by juggling primary care of my children and plans with constituents. I hope to see more moms in all levels of government and we can do a better job welcoming them in."