Kirsten Gillibrand

But I urge them to support the comprehensive and fiscally responsible FAMILY Act.

Right now, 85 percent of all American workers don't have access to paid family and medical leave.

Whatever the case, no working American should ever have to choose between their family and their paycheck.

We must be able to have honest debate about these critical issues.

Any national paid leave plan should build on the Family Medical Leave Act, and reflect the well-established needs laid out in that law.

A plan that's a first step toward privatizing Social Security--the bedrock of our social safety net--is no place to start.

Using your retirement security to fund paid time off from work when you have a child is not paid family leave at all--it's robbing from your retirement to be able to care for loved ones now.

This is a common-sense bill that builds on the most successful and popular program we have in this country--Social Security.

It would make these programs more affordable, and put small businesses on a more even footing with large corporations.

This isn't a partisan issue--it affects every sector of the economy, and workers of all ages with all types of families.

Today's bipartisan hearing is an important baby step forward on this issue.

If we truly value the dignity of work, we need to recognize that paid family leave is something all workers should have the opportunity to earn.

It is good for business. And what is good for business is good for this country.

It does not cost a lot of money, and it covers everybody.

A small business today cannot compete with a Facebook or a Google or the Ernst and Youngs or the big law firms.

The FAMILY Act covers birth or adoption, taking care of an older family member, addressing one's own personal medical needs.

The FAMILY Act covers all workers--which I think is really important.

It also gives you about 66 percent of your wages guaranteed for up to 3 months with a cap.

It is about the cost of a cup of coffee a week for you and for your employer.

The FAMILY Act is an earned benefit, meaning it travels with you, whether you are working full-time, part-time.

I urge them to support a comprehensive and fiscally responsible idea called the FAMILY Act.

So Congress desperately needs to catch up. We need a national paid leave program now.

We are the only industrialized country in the world that does not guarantee some form of paid leave.

Whatever the case is, no working American should ever have to choose between their family members and a paycheck.

Here is the truth: at some point, every person here, every person you know, is going to have a situation where you have to take some time off from your work to meet and care for a family member.