Rosa DeLauro

When working parents go to work sick, they risk infecting the entire workforce.

Half of all private sector workers do not have a single paid day off that they can use for themselves or a sick family member.

What does it say when Lesotho, Papua, New Guinea are implementing paid sick days to give their businesses and their entire nation a competitive edge? America still doesn't get it.

It is about keeping businesses and workers strong, helping to maintain their edge in a tightening global economy.

This is about simply setting the floor on what we all can agree is good corporate citizenship, about staying competitive as a nation.

The Healthy Families Act, which I introduced with Senator Kennedy, would correct this injustice.

The absence of a national paid sick days policy today affects countless families and workers.

I believe that workers in America ought to have paid sick days. It is a basic matter of right and wrong.

I am a strong supporter of a national policy on paid leave and commend Representative Maloney on HR 626, the Federal Employees Parental Leave Act.

It boggles my mind that 30 years later that any employer would rather have employees come to work sick than provide them the time off they need to recover.

We lead the world in employees who can never take a day off.

But economists tell us that this is precisely the time to act.

The FIRST Act, however, is an essential step to achieving our ultimate goal.

This is really about simply setting the floor on what we all can agree is good corporate citizenship.

People need time to recharge their batteries.

If we deal with the cutting the production of the F-22, we will in fact lead to more job losses.

I was in Aviano not too long ago, and the airmen there talked about their interest in the F-22.

We could lose between 2,000 and 3,000 jobs if we cut production there.

The first is about the F-22, which in my view is critical to the security of the Nation and our ability to respond to all kinds of air combat capabilities.

I have a bill to strengthen the standards for--and the safety standards for child care centers also.

We have to stop putting them in that place.

I have legislation called the Balancing Act that is an omnibus bill.

Can we-will we put together a plan that will give every kid universal preschool in the very near future?

The Commission made many recommendations but at its heart subjected a shift, as I understand it, from our current funding approach that is based largely on indirect user fees, the gas tax, and a new system based around direct user charges…

Standards have to be part of it.