Dive Brief:
- A bipartisan coalition of family leave advocates introduced the More Paid Leave for More Americans Act in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. The two-part legislation seeks to “expand access to paid family leave across the country through state-driven, innovative, and sustainable solutions,” per a press release from Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, who introduced the bill.
- If passed, states will receive grants via the Department of Labor to fund paid family leave. States will qualify if they offer six weeks of paid leave for birth or adoption; adopt wage replacement between 50% and 67%, depending on the recipient’s income; use a public-private partnership model; and participate in a newly developed Interstate Paid Leave Action Network (I-PLAN).
- The I-PLAN initiative is meant to “help states coordinate benefits, share data, and reduce confusion for workers who live and work in different states” by harmonizing policies and codifying best practices for family leave, according to Houlahan’s release.
Dive Insight:
Not only does the United States lag behind other developed countries when it comes to adopting a national paid family leave program, but the lack of support for mothers, parents and caregivers in general has continued to be a sticking point in the talent conversation.
For years, employers have expressed frustration at the countrywide patchwork of time off and leave legislation, which can lead to compliance issues.
When it comes to securing national paid family leave legislation, the United States seems to be dragging its feet. Between 2020 and 2023, family leave legislation was reduced or shelved at least five times by the federal government. Even before that, paid family leave proposals were piling up.
On the front lines of the cause include think tanks such as the Bipartisan Policy Center. For the past two years, the organization has been weighing measures to make leave policy agreeable for both sides of Congress.
The BPC was also a part of the charge to introduce this paid parental leave bill; Reps. Houlahan and Bice are co-chairs of the Bipartisan House Paid Family Leave Working Group.
Other members include Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, Haley Stevens, D-Mich., Julia Letlow, R-La., Don Beyer, D-Va., Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, and Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif.
“While the rise in state-level paid family leave laws has provided access to this critical benefit for millions of workers, the distinct requirements of each program present compliance challenges for multistate employers,” Michele Stockwell, president of Bipartisan Policy Center Action, said in an April 30 statement.
BPC Action endorses the acts, she said, to “improve the efficiency of existing paid family and medical leave programs” and to “promote greater uniformity across states.”
“Regardless of party, Americans believe that Congress must act and support efforts nationwide to advance paid family and medical leave,” Rep. Houlahan in the statement.
