Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown is working to make childcare more available and affordable in rural communities. 

Brown's Expanding Childcare in Rural America Act of 2023 would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development to authorize and prioritize projects that address the availability, quality and cost of childcare in agricultural and rural communities. 

The bill would focus on helping rural towns receive federal grants, as well as establish partnerships that would help make childcare more affordable to more families. 

"Families, if they face that prospect of very expensive childcare or 'I quit my job and stay home,' they just can't do what they need to for their families," said Senator Brown. 

Brown is looking at a previous childcare that was repealed in 2020, as a guide for this bill. Before it was repealed, the law included the largest tax cut was given to rural families in the history of the country. Ninety percent of children were eligible for the tax cut, which helped several numerous families across the state. 

Starting in July of 2021 for a year, families in Ohio were able to receive a $250-$300 check from the government, which he says made the world of difference for families in rural communities. 

To get the bill passed, it would need bipartisan support. 

"A number of Republicans in this Congress fight for tax cuts for the rich, and for big corporations, I'm fighting for tax cuts for the middle class," said Senator Brown. "We need to focus our tax cuts on helping middle class families."