DOVER — Delaware has become the 14th state to codify legislation allowing candidates running for office to use campaign funds to cover the cost of child care.

State and local candidates in Delaware had been expressly barred from using campaign funds for child care due to a 2020 ruling by a state election commissioner. However, House Bill 90, which had bipartisan support when passed in June, removes the obstacle of funding child care that parents may face when running for office.

Twenty-five states have approved the use of campaign funds for child care — 10 through ethics commission rulings, one through an attorney general opinion and 14 by passing legislation. The Vote Mama Foundation is working with state legislators nationwide to pass laws permitting the use of campaign funds for child care in all 50 states by 2023.

Grechen Shirley ran for Congress in 2018 and became the first woman to receive federal approval to use campaign funds for child care after she successfully petitioned the Federal Election Commission.