Reply to Proposed DC legislation re: domestic workers

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[quote=Anonymous]Here is my email, in case anyone needs ideas. Cannibalized from the email that just came out from CC and earlier posts to this thread.

Hello Council members,

I am writing in regards to proposed legislation regarding domestic workers in the district. I understand the D.C. Council is currently reviewing proposed legislation that would add domestic workers to the D.C. Human Rights Act protections. I am requesting that the federal au pair program be explicitly exempted from the Domestic Workers Protection Act, as has been done in states like New York.

Au pairs are here on a J-1 exchange visa through the Department of State's federal program. The au pair program is a special federally regulated program that brings young foreigners with an interest in educational childcare/English learning to the U.S. for one year.

The host families provide full room and board, food, transportation, educational expenses, cell phone service, auto insurance, health insurance, etc. and pay a federally mandated stipend in exchange for childcare. Most families include au pairs in family vacations and trips, parties, field trips/outings, and american holidays, so it is truly a cultural exchange program that is mutually beneficial.

D.C. already has some of the highest cost childcare in the country and the au pair program is the only practical option for our family. I am a mom working ______, and living in NE D.C., and my husband is _______. Due to the nature of his career, I am essentially a single mom 15 days a month. The au pair program allows me to keep my full-time job since the flexibility of the program allows for morning help so that I can get myself to work on time, and provides me with a bit of evening support during bath and dinner time. This program fills a gap for many working families like mine, who need flexible childcare (one hour in the morning and several hours after school or in the evenings) that nannies and babysitters are unwilling to fill. I was unable to get my newborn son into a daycare here in the district due to the long wait list (and I am actually STILL on a waiting list for one daycare in my neighborhood and my son is now 2 years old). If it were not the au pair program, I do not know that I would be able to continue my career, based on the demands of my husband's job. Having this program and the amazing young woman we have been lucky enough to have join our family has been life-changing for us.

The inclusion of au pairs in the D.C. Domestic Workers Protection Act would fundamentally alter the cultural and educational nature of the program, disrupt the relationship between host families and their au pairs, and render the program unaffordable for many, if not most, working families in D.C. It would certainly become unaffordable for my family and would likely cost me my job, as childcare centers in D.C. have waiting lists upwards of 18 months. It is also unnecessary due to the comprehensive federal regulations of the U.S. State Department that have exclusively governed the terms and conditions of this federal program in D.C. for over thirty years. Federal protections are already provided which are designed specifically for au pairs.

I would like to know your position on this issue, and urge you to consider carving out an exception for au pairs, as the state of New York has done. (link to https://labor.ny.gov/legal/laws/pdf/domestic-workers/facts-for-employers.pdf)

[b]"The only exception is au pairs hired through the federal au pair program and admitted into the United States under a J-1 visa, which are subject to special federal rules."[/b]

Additionally, I would like to be informed of any public hearings and possibly set up a time to meet with you regarding this issue.

Thank you for considering.[/quote]

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