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Statement

‘An Ill-Advised Veto that Will Harm New Hampshire’s Moms, Families, Businesses and Economy’

May 10, 2019
Paid Family & Medical Leave, New Hampshire

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

Statement of Christina D’Allesandro, New Hampshire State Mom Force Director for MomsRising, an online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families including 15,000 in New Hampshire, on Governor Sununu’s veto of SB 1, the Paid Family Medical Leave Insurance bill:

“It is deeply disappointing that Gov. Sununu vetoed SB 1 yesterday. This bill would have provided a critical safety net for workers and their families, helped keep small businesses competitive, and strengthened our state’s economy. Workers need job-protected paid family and medical leave to care for a family member in the event of birth, adoption or fostering of a child; to recover from illness or injury; or to support a family member facing a serious health condition. This veto is ill-advised and will cause real and direct harm to New Hampshire’s moms and families, as well as the state’s businesses and its economy. Because of this veto, countless New Hampshire workers and families will continue to struggle without the paid leave they need.

“MomsRising has been working for paid family and medical leave for more than a decade. In these divisive times, it is significant that more than four in five Granite Staters support paid leave. We call on Gov. Sununu to propose and advance a plan that will provide access to paid leave for all workers in New Hampshire, not just those who work for the state.

“We will continue to work to advance paid leave in New Hampshire, but this veto also stands as a stark reminder of the urgent need for Congress to pass and President Trump to sign the FAMILY (Family and Medical Insurance Leave) Act into law, so that every worker in this country has access to the paid leave they need. Whether you can access paid leave should not depend on the state you live in or who your boss is. Our country needs a comprehensive national paid leave program that is inclusive of all working people, offers a meaningful duration of leave, is funded in a sustainable way and protects workers who take leave from retaliation or other harms. The FAMILY Act is that bill.” 

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.