WNY News Now

(WNY News Now) – A bipartisan group comprising eight senators and six House members has reached out to advocates, experts, and organizations, soliciting input for the development of a comprehensive national paid leave policy.

Washington D.C. – In a groundbreaking move, lawmakers have dispatched a letter to a diverse array of stakeholders, encompassing individuals, organizations, researchers, and policy experts, seeking recommendations for the expansion of paid parental, caregiving, and personal medical leave. The appeal for input is rooted in the aim of fostering a bipartisan, fiscally responsible, and sustainable approach to address the pressing need for accessible and inclusive leave policies.

Reflecting on her own experience, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, Co-Chair of the House Paid Family Leave Working Group, shared a personal anecdote. “I was a young Lieutenant in the Air Force when I first became a mom. I didn’t have access to comprehensive paid family leave, and that stress, combined with child care issues on base, is a large part of what led me to separate from active duty. For our service members and all Americans, we must do better,” she emphasized.

With the nation witnessing historic levels of support for paid family leave, the lawmakers stress the importance of this initiative, describing it as a “first-of-its-kind effort” and a pivotal step toward crafting enduring policy solutions. The bipartisan Request for Information (RFI) marks a collaborative stride towards addressing the diverse needs of citizens, whether caring for an elderly parent or bonding with a newborn.

The full letter:

To Whom It May Concern:

 As members of the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional working group exploring solutions to expand access to paid leave for all Americans, we write with strong interest in hearing diverse stakeholder input. To inform our efforts, we invite individuals, organizations, researchers, policy experts, and others, to share your suggestions for expanding access to paid parental, caregiving, and personal medical leave in a bipartisan, fiscally responsible and sustainable way. We will closely review submissions to help inform ongoing bipartisan efforts, and individual submissions will be kept confidential. Please note, trustworthy data and research with proper citations will be appreciated.

 We invite your response to the following:

1. What should the federal role be, if any, in providing, promoting, and/or incentivizing paid leave? And how should this interact with the role of state government programs, and/or employer programs?
2. What types of leave should a potential federal program cover, at what length, and why? How should different types of leave be prioritized? Should different types of leave be treated differently or does doing so create adverse effects?
3. Please describe your recommended framework/s, focusing on what you believe could be a bipartisan and passable solution/s to expanding paid leave nationally?
4. Please describe alternative ways any proposed framework can be financed, including possible payfors. What financial mechanisms should be considered to expand paid leave?
5. How can proposed paid leave frameworks avoid creating unintended distortions, such as marriage penalties, reductions of private sector paid leave coverage, etc.?
6. Should government support for paid leave  be focused only on the most vulnerable individuals in our society, or on all Americans regardless of means or need?
7. What supports do small and mid-sized businesses need from the federal government to provide paid leave to workers?
8. What does research say about the impact of providing paid leave on worker health, job satisfaction, economic mobility, child development, breastfeeding rates and related health outcomes, fertility rate, infant mortality, elderly health, public assistance levels, family income, and recruitment and retention efforts?
9. What lessons should the federal government learn from successful or failed attempts at expanding paid leave in U.S. states or other countries?
10. What other information would you like us to consider as we attempt to chart a bipartisan path forward?