A bipartisan Senate duo is introducing a new paid leave bill this week — another step in a yearslong effort to draft compromise legislation guaranteeing people won’t lose paychecks if they need to take an extended absence from work.
The measure from Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Republican Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas — shared first with POLITICO — would establish a pilot grant program allowing states to provide at least six weeks of leave for family, medical or caregiving reasons. It also would also set up an interstate working group to coordinate and harmonize benefits across participating states.
A similar bipartisan effort is underway in the House from Reps. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), though the Senate proposal would in some areas go further. For instance, the Gillibrand-Boozman bill would extend paid leave opportunities to foster parents and remove requirements in the House bill that might limit the pilot program’s reach.
It would also direct the Labor secretary to prioritize states for pilot program grants that do not have existing paid leave programs.
“No American should have to choose between earning a paycheck and caring for a new baby, a sick parent, or their own health,” Gillibrand said in a statement, describing her bill as “a commonsense, bipartisan step toward solving a challenge facing millions of hardworking families.”
She added the “robust” programs would “help protect Americans’ financial security and allow them the flexibility to deal with life’s emergencies without sacrificing their income.”
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report misspelled Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s name.
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