Statement
STATEMENT OF KRISTIN ROWE-FINKBEINER, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising.org, On the National Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act (“FAMILY Act”)
March 18, 2015
Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996
FAMILY Act Is Good for Families, Business, and the Nation
“More than two decades ago, Congress passed and the President signed into law, a groundbreaking bill that guaranteed most workers unpaid leave to attend to the arrival of a new child or to a family member’s medical needs. It was an important breakthrough, but it was only a first step. Today, we need paid maternity and paternity leave and paid leave for medical needs. Leave that would be guaranteed by the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act (FAMILY Act), introduced today by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Rosa DeLauro.
“The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides for up to 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected leave. But too many employees can’t afford to lose that income. What’s more, FMLA only covers about 60 percent of employees and only 13 percent of employees have paid leave through their jobs. This leaves millions of workers with no leave, paid or unpaid, after the birth or adoption of a child, or in case of illness. The FAMILY Act would fill that gap by creating a national insurance program that would allow eligible workers to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave and help millions of moms and families across the country.
“MomsRising member Karen told us that because she didn’t have any paid maternity leave and couldn’t afford to take unpaid leave, she went back to teaching classes at her university one week after her child was born. Her husband ended up holding the baby outside the classroom door while she taught. Such a situation is obviously not ideal for a mother or a child.
“When new moms take a full 12-week maternity leave, children are more likely to be breast-fed and to get doctor’s checkups, so they grow up healthier and stronger. Studies show that paid parental leave correlates with lower infant mortality rates, strengthened parental bonding, improved brain and social development, and overall well-being. These improved outcomes also lead to reduced costs to our health care system.
“Studies also show paid family leave not only lowers infant mortality, but also boosts our economy by lowering the long term need for government assistance. In addition, moms with access to paid family leave are more likely to be back in the labor force one year after having a baby.
“After the birth of her third child, MomsRising member Jorddan used her accumulated vacation to stay at home for ten days. After that time ran out, she had to return to work, a mere two weeks after giving birth, or she wouldn’t have been able to pay the basic necessities of life such as water, rent, food, and heat. No parent should have to make the choice between having a paycheck and having the critical bonding time needed when welcoming a new child into the home.
“Sadly, neither Karen nor Jorddan’s stories are unique. But the irony is that paid leave is actually a boon for employers as well as employees. Paid leave reduces worker turnover and the costs associated with recruiting and training new employees, and it increases worker loyalty. Numerous states have recognized this, and are leading the way with state and city level paid leave legislation.
“That’s important progress, but workers shouldn’t have to rely on a geographic luck of the draw to access paid time off. As an organization with more than a million members that represents moms across the country, MomsRising strongly urges Congress to pass the FAMILY Act and do the right thing for our nation’s families, our nation’s businesses and our national economy.”