Washington, D.C. – Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) today joined Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and interested groups representing 2.7 million government employees in support of The Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act (FEPPLA), H.R. 626, which would provide federal employees with four weeks of paid parental leave after the birth or adoption of a child.
The bill will be debated and voted on by the U.S. House of Representatives today. On January 30, 2009, Senator Webb re-introduced the Senate version of the legislation, S.354, and currently has 16 cosponsors, including Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Senator Joe Lieberman.
"The legislation considered in the House this week and championed by Representative Maloney is an issue of fairness for the working family," said Senator Webb. "I believe that we should give federal employees the same opportunity for family-friendly benefits that are offered to military families and a growing number of workers in the private sector. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the U.S. Senate to advance a standard for workplace policy that supports our federal workers."
"Many employers say that their policies are 'family-friendly,' but it's past time for the Federal Government to 'walk the walk' when it comes to paid parental leave," said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), prime sponsor of H.R. 626. "As the nation's largest employer, the federal government should be joining the majority of the private sector and 168 other nations by enacting workplace policies that invest in employees and their children. Some say the government can't afford to do so in times like these; I say we can't afford not to, as more and more families are relying on just one paycheck."
Federal employees currently receive no paid time off specifically to care for an infant or newly adopted child. While federal employees are entitled to 12 weeks of unpaid leave guaranteed to them by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), many cannot afford to forego pay to take leave. Sick days and vacation days are often used as a substitute.
By failing to provide paid parental leave, the federal government lags behind both the private sector (53 percent of private-sector employers provide some form of paid parental leave), and other industrialized nations; the U.S. is the only industrialized country that does not provide support for all workers with a new child.
In the 110th Congress, FEPPLA passed the House by a convincing bipartisan margin of 278-146, including 50 Republicans.
Organizations that support the bill include: the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Federally Employed Women, Moms Rising, the National Partnership for Women and Families, and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).
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For additional information on "The Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act," please visit: http://webb.senate.gov/pdf/factsheet&q&afeppla.pdf
