House GOP Unveils ‘American Families Agenda’

House Republicans today unveiled their “American Families Agenda,” a range of proposals including 47 bills that, Republicans say, would update laws to reflect the needs of modern families.

The agenda’s premise is that American families have changed since the 1950s: more single parents and working mothers have meant a new set of needs for families — needs laws should address.

The agenda includes bills to increase domestic energy production, train underprivileged women under the Small Business Administration, allow workers to trade overtime for time off, provide tax credits for health insurance, and increase penalties on sex offenders.

House Republican Conference Vice Chair Kay Granger (Texas), who spearheaded the agenda, says it will assure five solutions for families: healthcare and retirement security, access to education, protection for children from predators, support for military families, and more time and money (including lower energy costs, assistance for small businesses, and facilitation of taking time off work).

Granger unveiled the agenda at a press conference this afternoon with House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), House Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam (Fla.), House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.), and other Republican House members.

See Granger’s release here.