Booker Introduces Legislation to Support Unpaid Family Caregivers

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced theIn-Home Caregiver Assessment Resources & Education (CARE) Act of 2025, legislation that would support caregivers who provide unpaid care to relatives, partners, and friends by establishing a 3-year grant program for local government agencies and community organizations to carry out family caregiver home visiting programs.
“In New Jersey, nearly 2 million adults provide unpaid care to a family member with complex medical conditions or disabilities,”said Senator Booker.“Caregivers provide essential services and must be protected and supported. This legislation acknowledges the tremendous responsibility caregivers carry, and would ensure unpaid, informal caregivers have the tools and resources they need to take care of their loved ones and themselves.”
In the past year, 63 million Americans, nearly one in four adults, provided ongoing care for an adult or child with a complex medical condition or disability. Almost one in four of these caregivers reported providing 40 hours or more of care per week and provide an estimated $1 trillion in care each year. Many caregivers also experience poor health, social isolation, and high stress because of their caregiving responsibilities, and nearly 50 percent experience major financial hardship such as increased debt, lost savings, and food insecurity.
In New Jersey, one in six caregivers live in a household with an income under $50,000, and approximately 25 percent are caring for an adult while also caring for a child under 18. Providing resources, training, and support to caregivers not only benefits their mental, physical, and financial well-being, but also helps reduce costs to the health care system by expanding home-based care, reducing doctor’s visits, and lowering hospital admissions.
TheIn Home CARE Actwould help informal, unpaid family caregivers by:
TheIn Home CARE Actis endorsed by: The Arc, ALS United Mid-Atlantic, Samaritan NJ, National Alliance for Care at Home, Home Care & Hospice Association of NJ, and The Huntington's Disease Society of America, Alliance Center for Independence.
A one pager on the bill can be foundhere.
To read the full text of the bill, clickhere.