(FiveNation.com)- Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney has revitalized his work on a child allowance plan, and has gotten a few senators to co-sponsor his bill in the process.
Earlier this week, Romney unveiled what is being called as The Family Security Act 2.0. The bill calls for providing parents with a $350 monthly payment for every young child they have up to 5 years old, with a reduced monthly payment of $250 for every child between the ages of 6 and 17.
In addition, pregnant women would be eligible for four payments of $700 to be paid during his last four months preceding her due date. Those payments would help her pay with expenses related to pregnancy and with preparing to pay for the costs of a newborn.
Romney’s bill includes a cap on income, a limit on the total number of children parents could claim a benefit for and a minimum requirement for earnings as well.
The Utah senator originally introduced a similar bill without any co-sponsors back in February of 2021. Like that one, this version is also supposed to end up being cost neutral.
According to Romney’s office, the bill shouldn’t have any effect on the already out-of-control inflation that the country is experiencing right now.
The two co-sponsors of the bill are Republicans Senators Steve Daines of Montana and Richard Burr of North Carolina. They are hoping that there is a “conference consensus” among the GOP because the three senators represent the wide spectrum of ideologies within the party.
Each of the co-sponsors prepared their own statements regarding the bill, with each saying that American families are facing challenging times and need help. As Romney said in his statement:
“Despite being the bedrock of our country, there’s perhaps never been a more challenging time than today to raise a family. It’s no coincidence that fewer and fewer people are getting married and having children. We must do better to help families meet the challenges they face as they take on the most important work any of us will ever do: raising our society’s children.”
The three co-sponsors said their bill would help all working families since it provides monetary support to families that need it, while also encouraging people to work.
As Daines commented:
“Our plan will ensure family policies are working for real families, while not adding to the national debt. This framework will strengthen our commitment to help working American families grow and thrive, while also recognizing that the costs of a new baby begin even before that child is born.”
To qualify for any of the benefits, families would have had to earn a minimum of $10,000 the year before. That amount will be indexed annually to inflation.
Any family earning less than that would receive only a portion of the full benefit. The earning requirement was one sticking point as to why Romney’s initial bill in early 2021 didn’t receive any support from fellow Republicans.
Just because Republican senators are behind the bill doesn’t mean Democrats will be, though. It’s likely that they’ll want much more than the Republican trio is proposing, although it might be enough to move the needle.
