Representative Gerry Connolly

Dear Neighbor,

The House just made history.

For far too long, Virginia families have been held back by soaring costs – from child care to health care to education to the climate crisis and more. To unleash the full potential of every worker and family in our state, Democrats are seizing this once-in-a-century moment to Build Back Better.

The Build Back Better Act, which we just passed in the House, will deliver for Virginia families, with millions of good-paying jobs, historic middle class tax cuts, and lower costs. I spoke on the House floor last night in favor of the Build Back Better Act, and you can check out video of my remarks here.

Led by President Biden and Democrats in Congress, the Build Back Better Act will be transformative for nearly every Virginia family, delivering historic investments that meet their needs in the wake of the pandemic. The bill will ensure that all can share in the benefits of a growing economy, both right now and for generations to come.

Here are just a few of the ways our Build Back Better Act will meet the needs of Virginia families:

The average annual cost for child care for a toddler in Virginia is $14,577. The Build Back Better framework will provide access to care for 511,589 Virginia children and ensure that no family pays more than seven percent of their income on child care. At the same time, only 13 percent of 3 & 4 year-olds in Virginia have access to publicly funded pre-K, while the average cost of private pre-K in the state is $8,600 per year. The Build Back Better Act will expand access to free, high-quality pre-K to an additional 142,882 young Virginians – setting these children up for lifelong success and saving their parents thousands of dollars.

Here's how:

Saves most families more than half their current spending on child care, ensuring the vast majority of families will have to pay no more than 7 percent of their income for child care.
Expanding the basic promise of free schooling in America for the first time in 100 years with universal pre-school for all 3 & 4 year-olds.
Establishes a universal and permanent paid family and medical leave program, providing four weeks of paid parental, family caregiving, and medical leave.
Gives more than 35 million families a major tax cut by extending the Biden Child Tax Credit.
Expands access to high-quality home care for older adults and people with disabilities.
Cuts the cost of postsecondary education, with such steps as increasing the maximum Pell Grant.
Reduces families’ housing costs and expands housing options, with a major housing initiative.

By closing the Medicaid gap, expanding Medicare to include hearing care and extending relief for insurance purchased through the ACA, the Build Back Better Act will help 94,000 Virginians gain coverage and allow 90,800 Virginia families to save hundreds on health costs each year – while also making home health care for elderly parents or loved ones with disabilities more affordable and accessible. Here's how:

Finally negotiating lower drug costs for seniors and halting Big Pharma’s outrageous price hikes above inflation for all Americans.
Ensuring Americans with diabetes don’t pay more than $35 per month for their insulin.
Creating a new, out-of-pocket cap of $2,000 on what seniors pay for their drugs in Medicare Part D.
Expanding the ACA to make coverage more affordable for those who buy insurance on their own. Dramatically lowers premiums in the ACA Marketplace, with individuals seeing a reduction in their premiums of more than $800 per year. Expands the ACA to cover those in the states that have refused to adopt the Medicaid expansion.
Helps older Americans access affordable hearing care by expanding Medicare.

Virginia has experienced 40 extreme weather events over the last decade, which has cost Virginia families up to $10 billion in damages. By reducing carbon pollution, bolstering community resilience, and strengthening the American clean energy economy, the Build Back Better Act will create good-paying union jobs, advance environmental justice and save Virginia families the steep costs of recovery. Here's how:

Build Back Better is the largest effort to combat climate change in American history, investing $555 billion over 10 years in clean energy and climate investments.
Green tax credits will save the average American family hundreds of dollars per year in energy costs.
Ensures clean energy technology – from wind turbine blades to solar panels to electric cars – will be built in the United States, creating hundreds of thousands of good jobs here at home.

The Build Back Better Act also makes generational investments in higher education, workforce training, affordable housing, nutrition assistance and more.

To learn more about the historic, lifechanging provisions in the bill, check out this fact sheet from the House Budget Committee. And be sure to take my official survey to let me know your thoughts on the Build Back Better Act.

Please continue to take care of yourselves and each other and remember that my office is here to help. If you have any questions or concerns, or if you need assistance, please don't hesitate to call us at (703) 256-3071.

Sincerely,

Gerald E. Connolly
Member of Congress