“We commend Democratic leaders in both the U.S. Senate and the House for fighting so hard for working families and urge them to continue doing so as Congress finalizes its third coronavirus relief package. This bill will provide unprecedented resources to get us through this unprecedented emergency, and it absolutely must direct those resources to working families – not to a slush fund that will benefit wealthy corporations, without oversight or transparency.

“America’s moms have been looking to lawmakers for critically urgent help in this crisis, including treatment that leaves nobody behind and free testing, regardless of immigration status; stronger, more comprehensive paid sick days and paid leave; adequate income replacement for all working families; improvements to our Unemployment Insurance system that cover all out-of-work workers; relief to ensure the stability of our child care system; and solutions that protect those who are most vulnerable, including working, low-income and immigrant families, people who are incarcerated, people with disabilities, and others at particular risk. This third coronavirus relief bill must finish the job.

“The House Democratic bill released last night is strong – a much better plan than anything else we have seen. It provides the robust supports our frontline health care workers deserve, includes the paid sick days and paid family and medical leave our country’s workforce urgently needs, provides direct payments to struggling families, updates our Unemployment Insurance system to take on the increased need we are expecting to see, provides relief to small businesses, and addresses the needs of immigrant families. While we will continue pressing lawmakers to take additional steps to stabilize our child care system, this bill deserves to become law.”

-Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, executive director and CEO, MomsRising

“We are especially pleased that the House Democratic plan includes more adequate emergency paid sick days (two weeks) and emergency paid family and medical leave (up to ten weeks), closing gaps that would have left millions behind. Crucially important is that this plan includes paid medical leave to care for yourself or a family member who has been quarantined due to the coronavirus. This pandemic makes it abundantly clear that paid medical leave is an absolutely necessary and critical tool for protecting the physical and financial health of our families and our economy. 

“The Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act improves on the Families First Act by eliminating exclusions including the ones for large and small businesses, providing full wage replacement for working people taking paid sick days and at least two-thirds wage replacement for those taking paid family and medical leave, and using a more inclusive definition of family. It provides emergency paid leave for self-quarantine, to care for a family member who is quarantined, care for a child whose school has closed or whose child care provider is unavailable due to COVID19, or to care for a family member who has a disability or is a senior whose place of care or direct care provider is unavailable due to COVID-19.

“It is intolerable for Senate Republicans to continue putting the needs of corporate and Wall Street executives over the health of families. A slush fund that directs huge sums of unrestricted money to wealthy corporations is not the solution to this emergency and is simply unacceptable. The House plan is the best we have seen.”

-Statement of Ruth Martin, senior vice president and chief workplace justice officer, MomsRising