Political Quotes

“I rise in support of H.R. 5781, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act, which would provide 4 weeks of paid parental leave and 8 weeks of unpaid leave for all Federal employees after the birth or adoption of a child. Under this measure, these employees may also use accrued annual or sick leave to receive compensation for the unpaid weeks. Currently, employees may take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act to care for a newborn or adopted child. H.R. 5781 will help the United States Government compete with the private sector in order to recruit the best and brightest employees and retain that talent. In 2007, a Government Accountability Office report found that countries offering paid parental leave experienced increased employee retention and a reduction in the amount of time women spend out of the workforce. Disappointingly, the GAO also reported that the U.S. lags behind other industrial nations in providing policies that support working parents and their children. In fact, 169 countries guarantee women leave with income in connection with childbirth. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that women are more likely to work before and after pregnancy than they were 30 to 40 years ago, and Congress must legislate according to the changing makeup of our workforce. So far, we have not met that mark. I know that many of my colleagues have already met or exceeded the requirements of this bill, and I applaud their efforts.”