First Focus Campaign for Children submitted this Statement for the Record  to U.S. Senate Committee on Finance Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy for the hearing titled, “Examining the Importance of Paid Family Leave for American Working Families.”

Excerpt:

The Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act of 2017, introduced by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-3), would create a program that combines employer and employee payroll contributions to create a shared fund for paid family and medical leave for all employers of all sizes. Workers in all companies would be eligible for up to 12 weeks of partial income, earning 66 percent of their monthly wages up to a capped amount, for family and medical leave. Paid leave could be used during a pregnancy, for childbirth recovery, serious health condition of a child, parent, spouse or domestic partner, adoption of a child, and/or military caregiving and leave. 

The FAMILY Act would allow for working individuals to take paid time off, and would not discriminate based on gender or the nature of their job. By allowing both parents to take valuable time off after the birth or adoption of a child, men are able to be more involved in direct care, therefore creating greater equality in households.

View the full statement.