Women and Families

Advocating for Women and Families

Senator Casey has long advocated for policies to ensure that women can be full participants in America’s economy, supporting access to childcare and paid family leave, seeking an end to discrimination against pregnant women, and advocating for equal pay for equal work. As a member of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, the Committee on Finance and Special Committee on Aging, Senator Casey has had the opportunity to write legislation and influence policy impacting women in Pennsylvania.

  • Protecting pregnant workers: Senator Casey is the author of the bipartisan Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (S. 1101) to ensure that pregnant workers are given reasonable accommodations in the workplace to ensure a healthy pregnancy.
  • Providing flexibility for working families: Senator Casey authored the Flexibility for Working Families Act (S. 997) to provide employees with more options to request flexibility in scheduling to meet the needs of their families.
  • Ending the gender pay gap: Senator Casey has cosponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 819), which would increase penalties for employers who pay different wages to men and women for equal work. Senator Casey also voted in favor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which closed a loophole to ensure that victims of pay discrimination would have legal recourse against those who discriminated against them.
  • Support for pregnant women: Senator Casey’s program, the Pregnancy Assistance Fund, was included in the Affordable Care Act. This program provided $250 million over ten years to support pregnant and parenting teens and young women as they work to complete their education.
  • Combating domestic and sexual violence: Senator Casey has fought for programs that support victims of violence and authored legislation to improve how colleges and universities respond to sexual assault. This legislation, the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act, was signed into law in 2013 as a part of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act.
  • Championing early learning and child care: Senator Casey recognizes that children need early learning opportunities to succeed and grow to their full potential. Study after study shows that investments in enhancing learning opportunities for our youngest children are absolutely critical to a child’s success, as well as that of their parents. Senator Casey has consistently led the fight to increase funding for early learning and child care programs including Head Start, the Child Care and Development Block Grant, and Preschool Development Grants. He has also introduced legislation to improve and expand early education and child care. His legislation to align early learning and grade school programs, the Continuum of Learning Act, was included in the Every Student Succeeds Act in December 2015. Senator Casey introduced the Child Care for Working Families Act (S.1806) with Senator Murray, legislation that would establish a new federal-state funding partnership to provide high-quality, affordable child care from birth through age 13. He also introduced the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act (S. 470). The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit helps individuals and families pay for care for a child, spouse or other dependent. Senator Casey’s bill will increase and expand access to this credit, so that it is available to more working families.
  • Support for family planning: Senator Casey has consistently supported access to contraception, including funding for the Title X National Family Planning Program, and has opposed efforts to defund nonprofits that provide important health care options to women.

Resources for Pennsylvania women:

  • If you have concerns about domestic violence or sexual abuse, there are many resources available. https://www.womenshealth.gov/violence-against-women/types-of-violence/domestic-intimate-partner-violence.html provides a list of resources from federal agencies and victims’ services organizations.https://www.womenshealth.gov/violence-against-women/types-of-violence/domestic-intimate-partner-violence.html provides a list of resources from federal agencies and victims’ services organizations.
  • If you have received a suspicious phone call allegedly from the IRS that you believe may be a scam, record the employee's name, badge number, call back number and caller ID if available. Call 1-800-366-4484 to determine if the caller is an IRS employee with a legitimate need to contact you.
  • If you need health insurance and are under age 65, please visit the health insurance marketplace at www.healthcare.gov for information on how to find health insurance, when to enroll, determine your family’s eligibility for Medicaid, CHIP or a subsidy for private insurance, and other resources. Open season, when anyone can enroll, occurs annually in November and December, but you may be able to enroll at another time if you experience a change like losing another source of insurance, getting married/divorced or having a baby. You can also call 1-800-318-2596, or find local help at https://localhelp.healthcare.gov/#intro.
  • Please do not hesitate to call Senator Casey’s Harrisburg office at -717-231-7540 or visit http://casey.senate.gov/constituents/casework/.

Latest

  • Casey, Colleagues Look To Fight Domestic Abuse In The Digital Age

    Although technological advancement has done a great deal to improve the daily lives of Americans across the country, it has also opened the door to a troubling new form of domestic abuse: the use of internet-connected home devices to harass and control victims. In an effort to combat this disturbing practice highlighted by a recent New York Times piece , U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), alongside U.S. Senators Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tom Udall (D-NM), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Tina Smith (D-MN), called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take steps to make updated resources and assistance available to victims, as well as law enforcement, judicial personnel and other professionals who assist victims of this type of domestic abuse. Read More

  • Casey Looks to Help Youngest, Oldest Victims of the Opioid Epidemic

    Pennsylvania infants, mothers, grandparents and everyone in between are harmed by the opioid epidemic. To address this crisis, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced two bipartisan bills aimed at helping both the oldest and youngest victims of the epidemic. Casey, alongside U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), introduced the Protecting Moms and Infants Act, to build upon their earlier Protecting Our Infants Act, which was the first federal law to address prenatal opioid exposure. With U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), Casey introduced the Medicare Beneficiary Opioid Addiction Treatment Act, legislation that would allow older adults and people with disabilities to access critical opioid treatment medication. Read More

  • Casey Expands on His Law to Protect Opioid Dependent Infants, Introduces New Bill to Ensure Plans of Safe Care for All Affected Infants

    Each day, as the opioid crisis continues to ravage our communities, more and more infants are born with neonatal abstinence syndrome, or are otherwise affected by substance abuse. In an effort to help these children, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) has introduced the Supporting Infant Plans of Safe Care Implementation Act of 2018. This legislation will provide much needed resources to states for implementation of the 2016 law, plus additional guidance and technical assistance from the federal government to help states meet the requirements of the law. Read More

  • Casey Announces Guest for State of the Union As GOP Eyes “Entitlement Reform”

    Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) announced that Anna Corbin of Hanover, PA, a mother of two Medicaid recipients, will be his guest to the President's State of the Union Address on Tuesday, January 30. This announcement comes as the Administration and Republicans in Congress remain fixated on slashing vital programs and services for working families. Republicans passed massive tax cuts for the super-rich and big corporations, while at the same time proposing $1.5 trillion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid in their FY18 budget. Read More

  • Casey Obtains HHS Secret Roadmap to Sabotage the ACA

    Recently, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, obtained a secret document, which the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) distributed during a closed-door meeting between the Trump Administration and the House Freedom Caucus. The document highlights a quid pro quo agreement to entice members of Congress to vote for partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Read More

  • Casey, Democrats Push To Block Trump Administration’s Roll Back of Birth Control Mandate

    Led by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today 33 Senate and House Democrats introduced the Protect Access to Birth Control Act, legislation to rescind the Trump Administration's interim final rules issued on October 6 that allow companies to interfere in their employees’ health care choices and force women to pay more for an essential part of their health care. Read More

  • Casey Sends Letter to Secretary DeVos Condemning Meeting

    U.S. Senator Bob Casey is sending the below letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos reiterating the strong points he made at her confirmation hearing and condemning her meeting tomorrow with groups such as the National Campaign for Men. Read More

  • Casey, Wyden, Murray Call on HHS Secretary, Tom Price, to Reveal Details of Backroom Deals Being Made with Republican Senators

    U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Ranking Member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member on the Senate Finance Committee, and Patty Murray, Ranking Member on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, have sent a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tom Price, calling on him to reveal the details of the backroom deals being made with Republican Senators in order to gather support for their health care scheme. As the Senate GOP continues secret negotiations, the American people are left to wonder what the damaging impacts on their health care will be. During the House health care debate, President Trump sent a letter to House Republicans promising a series of rollbacks in basic health care protections through administrative action, yet Secretary Price and the White House have refused to release the letter. On June 20th, Secretary Price met behind closed doors with Republican Senators but has refused to divulge what documents were presented or what promises for regulatory rollbacks were made. Today, Senators Casey, Wyden and Murray, all Ranking Members of Senate committees, have made this inquiry as a matter of basic oversight. Read More

  • Casey, Senate Dems To Secretary Price: Tell The Truth About Medicaid Decimation

    U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, led a group of 14 senators in calling on Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Tom Price to stop misleading the public about the negative impacts of President Trump's budget and the Republican Healthcare Plan on Medicaid protections. Read More

  • Casey, Senate Democrats to Administration: Stop Sabotaging our Health Care System

    Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), joined by 12 Democratic Senators, demanded that the Trump Administration end its sabotage of the U.S. health care system. In a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Tom Price, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Mick Mulvaney, the Senators demanded that the Administration commit to making vital payments to ensure the viability of the health care system and to turn over documents, which the Administration likely possesses, that demonstrate the negative impacts that ending cost-sharing reduction payments (CSRs) would have on the health care system. Read More

  • Casey on House Health Care Bill Passage

    U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) is releasing the below statement following the House of Representatives passage of the American Health Care Act which would repeal the Affordable Care Act. Read More

  • Casey Leads Call To Stop Unnecessary Berks Detentions Of Children And Their Mothers

    A group, led by U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), of nine ‎U.S. Senators and 13 ‎members of the U.S. House of Representatives have released a letter to John Kelly, Secretary of the Department Homeland Security (DHS), calling on the Trump Administration to put an end to the detention of four children and their mothers at the Berks County Residential Center (BCRC) in Leesport, Pennsylvania. Read More

  • Meeting with Local Women's March leaders

    As women continue to face workplace discrimination and many working families are struggling to make ends meet, U.S. Senator Bob Casey reintroduce two pieces of legislation aimed at improving workplace opportunities for all. Surrounded by women's community leadership, Casey highlighted the planned reintroduction of his Pregnant Workers Fairness and Working Flexibility for Working Families Acts. Local Women’s March leaders echoed Casey’s call on congressional leaders to do their part to address these issues and step up to the plate for working women. Read More

  • Casey Marks Equal Pay Day, Reintroduces Paycheck Fairness Act

    Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) today marked Equal Pay Day and reintroduced the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation that would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and guarantee that women can challenge pay discrimination and hold employers accountable. Read More

  • Casey Statement on President Trump’s New Travel Ban

    Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), a member of the National Security Working Group and former Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, released a statement following the issuance of President Trump's new travel ban. Read More

  • At Confirmation Hearing, Rep. Price Doubles Down on Far Right Plan to Block Grant Medicaid, Adversely Impacting PA Children, Seniors and Those with Disabilities

    At the Senate Finance Committee's confirmation hearing of Representative Tom Price (R-GA) to be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Representative Price doubled down on the Trump Administration’s far right plan to block grant Medicaid, which would result in $1 trillion in cuts and less services for Pennsylvania seniors, children and those with disabilities. President Trump promised to protect these vital programs during the campaign but has raced to the far right ever since. In an interview with Axios, President Trump discussed block granting Medicaid, then this past Sunday his senior advisor, Kellyanne Conway, indicated that this would be the Administration’s policy. Representative Price defended this far right approach that will adversely impact middle class families, seniors, children and those with disabilities. Block granting Medicaid will result in approximately $1 trillion in cut that will mean less services and jobs in our communities lost. 2.8 million Pennsylvanians receive Medicaid, including approximately 280,000 seniors who benefit from nursing home care or other services. Read More

  • Casey Announces Voting Decision On Three Top Cabinet Nominees

    Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) is ready to announce after deliberations, hearings, and review of available paperwork that he will vote "no" on President-elect Trump's Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos, Attorney General nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator nominee Scott Pruitt. Below are statements on his rationale on each individual decision: Read More

  • Under Questioning from Casey, DeVos says it’s “Premature” to Commit to Enforcing Campus Sexual Assault Protections

    Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released a statement following the response by Betsy DeVos, the nominee to be Secretary of Education, to his question in which she said it would be "premature" to commit to enforcing the Obama Administration protections for campus sexual assault policies. Senator Casey introduced and passed into law the Campus SaVe Act, which put in place uniform reporting standards for campus sexual assaults on college campuses. Read More

  • Casey Leads Senators in Calling for Price Hearing to Include Outside Witnesses

    Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and 23 other Democratic Senators today sent a letter to Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) calling for the hearing of Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee Tom Price to include outside witnesses who can provide the Committees with context on his policy views and the likely consequences of such policies. Read More

  • Casey to Republicans: Reverse Course on Defunding Planned Parenthood

    Following an announcement that House Republicans will attempt to defund Planned Parenthood in reconciliation legislation repealing the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) joined by Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Tom Carper (D-DE), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Al Franken (D-MN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NV), Mazie K Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tom Udall (D-NM), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sent a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan demanding that he and Republicans drop attacks on the nation's largest women’s health care provider and put the health and wellbeing of women and families ahead of their party’s extreme politics. Read More