The proposed Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act, sponsored by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) and other Democrats in Congress, would guarantee up to 12 weeks of partial income for workers who need to take leave for serious medical and family events. Paid medical and family leave is “especially helpful” for new parents and older […]
The proposed Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act, sponsored by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) and other Democrats in Congress, would guarantee up to 12 weeks of partial income for workers who need to take leave for serious medical and family events.
Paid medical and family leave is “especially helpful” for new parents and older Americans, who are more likely to have health issues or caregiving obligations for older relatives, per Gillibrand.
Both Gillibrand and U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D–Conn.) on Sept. 16 held a press conference to announce the introduction of the proposed FAMILY Act.
“Without universal paid leave, millions of Americans are forced to make devastating choices between their livelihood and the health of themselves or their families,” Gillibrand said in the announcement. “By guaranteeing up to 12 weeks of paid leave for workers who have to take time off for a major life event, the FAMILY Act will end these impossible decisions. I am proud to have led the fight for paid leave alongside Representative DeLauro for over a decade, and I’ll continue fighting for this program for as long as it takes so we can give every worker the flexibility and dignity they deserve.”
Gillibrand also introduced the FAMILY Act in the Senate in May 2023 and February 2021, when Democrats controlled the Senate, and the legislation did not advance past committee, according to the website of Congress.gov. Republicans currently have the majority in the Senate. The legislation was first introduced as a bill sponsored by DeLauro in the House back in December 2013, per the website.
Gillibrand and DeLauro today argue the FAMILY Act delivers a “key solution to the country’s public health and economic challenges and is modeled on successful state programs,” Gillibrand’s office said. Currently, 73 percent of American workers do not have access to paid leave despite a large body of research showing that paid leave improves workers’ mental health; boosts employee retention and productivity; and helps businesses. Additionally, working families lose $22.5 billion per year in wages due to a lack of paid family and medical leave.
The proposed FAMILY Act would provide workers with paid leave for a range of major life events. They include recovering from their own serious health condition; caring for a family member with a serious health condition; and bonding with a new child — whether newborn, adopted, or placed through foster care.
The life events could also include handling responsibilities related to a family member’s military deployment; and taking “safe leave” to respond to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
Gillibrand and DeLauro were joined at the press conference by Senators Ron Wyden (D–Ore.) and Andy Kim (D–N.J.), as well as Reps. Richie Neal (D–Mass.), Lauren Underwood (D–Ill.), and Sarah McBride (D–Del.). The proposed legislation is also cosponsored by a number of other Democrat senators.
