The White House says its proposed budget for fiscal year 2013 will help states provide paid family leave to workers.
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Get Your Report Now!According to a White House statement, “Too many families must make the painful choice between the care of their families and a paycheck they desperately need. The Family and Medical Leave Act allows workers to take job-protected unpaid time off, but millions of families can’t afford to use unpaid leave. A handful of states have enacted policies to offer paid family leave, but more states should have the chance.”
To support this effort, the proposed 2013 budget would allocate a $5 million State Paid Leave Fund within the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to provide technical assistance and support to states that want to establish paid-leave programs.
The proposed budget preserves resources added to worker protection agencies under the Obama administration and includes $1.8 billion for these agencies.
The budget document also includes a $6 million request for DOL’s Wage and Hour Division for increased enforcement of the FMLA and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).