Bill would allow candidates to use campaign contributions for childcare expenses

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State Sen. Lori Berman would like to see more young women get involved in Florida politics.

So, she has filed a measure for consideration during the 2025 legislative session that she thinks can help accomplish her goal.

SB 72 would allow candidates to use campaign funds to cover the costs of childcare expenses accrued due to campaign-related activities such as participating in events, canvassing, debate, and meetings with constituents or donors. 

Candidates would provide to the state Division of Elections a clear record of all childcare expenses paid for with campaign funds including dates, times, and descriptions of the events the candidate engaged in. The bill requires the candidate to keep receipts or invoices from the eligible childcare provider, along with poof of payment, for at least three years.

Candidates would have to disclose the use of campaign funds for childcare in their regular campaign finance reports.

This is the second year that Berman, a Democrat from Boynton Beach, has filed the legislation. But her bill wasn’t considered last year.

“Hopefully, it’ll get a hearing this year,” Berman told the Florida Phoenix in a telephone interview.

Berman, who served eight years in the House before winning election to the Senate in 2018, says she waited to run for the Florida Legislature until her son was older. He was 17 when she was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2010.

“I waited to run until he was older, and I regret that,” she said.

Berman said 38 states allow campaign funds to be used to cover childcare costs. “I don’t see what Florida shouldn’t be doing the same thing,” Berman said.

According to the Vote for Mama Foundation, Florida ranked No. 31 nationally for the number of mothers with young children serving in its legislature in 2023, with 11 of the 160 members having children under the age of 18. Another 19 mothers with children under 18 would need to be elected for the Legislature to be representative of the overall population of women with minor children, the foundation maintains.

The Vote for Mama Foundation researches and analyzes political participation by mothers of young children.