Miami – A proposed bill for the upcoming Florida Legislative Session would allow parents who are seeking political office to use campaign contributions for childcare if approved.

Florida is among a few states which ban campaign funds for childcare but Boynton Beach Sen. Lori Berman, a Democrat, hopes to reverse the law.

Berman filed SB 72 ahead of the upcoming 60-day session to follow states including Georgia and North Carolina, as well as Washington D.C., in authorizing the use.

She said some parents living in Florida would like to run for public office but lack funds to pay for childcare while on the campaign trail. Berman said her proposed bill would make it easier for them.

“It’s a great idea, and I think Florida should join the majority of states in allowing that as an expense for campaigns,” she said in a statement. “We want to encourage women to run for office, and certainly this takes away the burden for women to have to pay for childcare while doing so.”

If approved, candidates would be required to provide the Florida Division of Elections receipts or invoices for all such spending for at least three years after their run for office is over.

Candidates’ and political committees’ expense reports would also have to denote when, where and how the funds are used for childcare expenses.

According to a Florida study, 67 percent of parents opt out of the opportunity to run for political office because they don’t have the funds to place their kids in childcare while campaigning, especially on the weekends.

The study said it could cost parents about $5,000 for childcare expenses during a campaign season.

Georgia was the latest state to allow candidates the option; its law went into effect in 2023. Several candidates complained that the costs drained their personal finances and forced some to drop out.

Georgia Democratic Sen. Kim Jackson, who has two boys, a 3-year-old and 4month-old, said her older son attends daycare but finding someone to watch him in the evenings and on weekends when she campaigned for reelection last year was a tricky scheduling and financial puzzle.

“It’s really hard to be accessible to your constituents if you’re not accessible during non-traditional daycare hours,” Jackson told reporters in Georgia. “So much of me needing childcare is about being able to do my job, which is to be with the people,” Jackson said. “These funds make that easier.”

According to Vote Mama, a political action committee that keeps records of states allowing candidates to use campaign funds for babysitting expenses, most states have adopted similar policies since 2018.

Vote Mama Liuba CEO and founder Grechen Shirley said the legislation garners bipartisan support and she sees all 50 states approving the usage in the next five years.

However, she said only 87 candidates nationwide used the funds from 2018 to 2022, more women than men.

African American candidates took advantage of their state’s campaign finance laws by spending 70 percent of the total funds reported in the four-year period.

Democratic candidates have overwhelmingly spent the most, with Republicans spending just 11 percent of the total reported.

Shirley said the use of funds grew each year. In 2018, about $10,000 of campaign funds were reportedly spent on childcare, a number that grew to $225,567 in 2022 “This is how we get working people into office,” Shirley said.

The regular session runs March 4 to May 2.