Over the past 24 years, since the FMLA was signed, US policy on paid family and medical leave has stagnated. Today, members of Congress have re-introduced legislation that would help us catch up to most of the rest of the world.
New York State’s new budget deal includes a paid-leave program that will offer the most paid leave in the nation once it’s fully implemented in 2021: 12 weeks of leave at up to two-thirds of pay.
Momentum is building for policies that allow workers to care for their own health and that of their family members without risking financial ruin.
New legislation from Senator Gillibrand and Representative DeLauro would establish a national insurance system that would replace a portion of workers’ wages while they take time off to deal with a serious health issue or care for a family member.
The Family and Medical Leave Act is 20 years old and still doesn’t cover 40% of workers; researchers find evidence of brain damage in five former football players while they’re still alive; and a police officer protecting polio workers in Pakistan was killed.