The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill that would give federal employees 4 weeks of paid parental leave after the birth or adoption of a child, according to Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-New York), the main sponsor of HR 626, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act .
For a Limited Time receive a
FREE Compensation Market Analysis Report! Find out how much you should be paying to attract and retain the best applicants and employees, with
customized information for your industry, location, and job.
Get Your Report Now!“It is just unacceptable that right now the U.S. is the only industrialized country that does not provide support for federal workers with a new child,” she said. In addition, she noted that 53 percent of private-sector employers offer some form of paid parental leave.
Early this year, Sen. Jim Webb (D-Virginia) introduced the Senate version of the bill (S 354), which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and a Senate subcommittee.
In related news, two House bills pertaining to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) were recently introduced. HR 2132, the Family and Medical Leave Inclusion Act , would amend the FMLA to allow leave to care for a domestic partner, child of a domestic partner, same-sex spouse, parent-in-law, adult child, sibling, or grandparent who has a serious health condition, according to Maloney, who also introduced this bill.
HR 2161, the Family and Medical Leave Restoration Act , would reverse the most restrictive rules included in final regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) in November 2008, according to bill sponsor Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-New Hampshire).