A bill to double the wage stipend for childcare workers passed the Senate Tuesday with strong bipartisan support.

The measure proposes to increase the monthly wage stipend for childcare workers from $200 to $400, an effort to close the gap between capacity and enrollment, which is more than 9,400 slots.

“For too long, Maine’s childcare system hasn’t worked for anyone,” Senate President Troy Jackson (D-Allagash), the bill’s sponsor, said in a statement. “With this strong bipartisan vote in the Senate, Maine is poised to take meaningful action on an issue that has cost our economy more than $400 million.”

Following the 33-1 vote in the Senate, the measure now heads to the House.

Jackson and others hope the stipend increase will help keep existing childcare centers open and attract more workers to the field. Currently, there are 350 fewer licensed childcare providers in Maine than there were 10 years ago, state data shows.

In addition to the stipend increase, the proposal would expand eligibility for a childcare assistance program that helps families that earn up to 125% of the state’s median wage, according to Jackson’s office.

Last week, bill supporters gathered in Portland to urge passage of the measure.

Tony Payne, vice president of external affairs at Maine Employers’ Mutual Insurance Co., said a new report measured the impact of the lack of childcare on the economy.  

Nationally, he said, a study by ReadyNation four years ago found the lack of affordable childcare cost the national economy $57 billion in lost productivity. Today, he said, the new study found that number had ballooned to $122 billion. 

In Maine, Payne said, that impact adds up to $403 million a year. 

“That’s not good for the nation, and it sure isn’t good for Maine,” he said.