legislation
Lawmakers in both chambers of Congress are taking steps to advance comprehensive paid leave legislation, with a bipartisan group of senators introducing a paid parental leave bill and the House of Representatives reintroducing a paid leave resolution. The proposed legislation is part of a renewed push to provide more Americans with the security and certainty of paid family leave.
The legislation introduced in the Senate by a bipartisan group of lawmakers would provide up to eight weeks of paid parental leave for eligible workers through the federal unemployment insurance program. The bill would allow new parents to take up to eight weeks of paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child without having to worry about utilizing savings or taking unpaid time off work.
The House is set to consider the Paid Leave Resolution, which would create a congressional task force to develop and evaluate paid leave proposals. The resolution, introduced by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), would require the task force to provide recommendations on a pathway to comprehensive, gender-neutral paid leave by 2025.
The efforts in both the Senate and the House indicate a growing willingness among lawmakers to take action to provide more Americans with access to paid family leave. Given the growing need for more economic security for working families, comprehensive paid leave legislation could soon be on the horizon.
