STATEMENT: DC Paid Family Leave Bill Would Provide Economic Security to

The bill introduced today by the D.C. Council would provide much needed economic security to working families in the District of Columbia, and this legislation should serve as a model to states and municipalities looking to develop their own paid family and medical leave insurance programs.

All Washington residents are eligible, as are employees who live elsewhere but spend more than half their time at an employer in the District (the exception: workers who reside outside of the city and are employed by the federal government in D.C.).

The measure, developed with the help of the Obama administration, would allow residents to take paid leave following the birth or adoption of a child, to care for a terminally ill relative, or for just about any life-changing event in between.

“This will make it easier for me to hire someone”, she said. In fact, only three states (California, New Jersey and Rhode Island) have mandated policies and they offer fewer paid weeks.

In his last State of the Union address, President Obama cast paid leave as one small step to addressing In the country’s gaping economic disparities. Under the bill, the fund would cover 100 percent of the first $1,000 an employee makers per week and 50 percent thereafter, for a maximum of $3,000 per week over the course of the leave taken. The group said in a letter to the council Monday that the program would make the city “dangerously uncompetitive”. “And then move through the setup of the regulations, and ultimately get this service out there so we have the real strong support for families in the city that we need”. “This would be another cost on top of all of the other costs”, he said.

Silverman concedes that the cost of providing paid leave would fall largely on employers, but those same employers would benefit from having happier employees. As a result, many workers are forced to choose between their paycheck or even the security of their jobs and caring for a sick loved one.

Advocates also say that the business community similarly complained about other measures passed by the council, including a 2008 bill requiring that all employers give employees paid sick leave. “We now have a national platform and a great opportunity with this legislation to show how it can be done”. “Any D.C. resident, or any employee of a D.C.-based private company would be eligible”.

Silverman and council member David Grosso (I-At Large), who pushed the measure for months behind the scenes, recently attended a symposium led by the Labor Department where the District’s efforts were lauded for helping to “push the needle” on family-leave law.