House Representatives Maloney, Hoyer, Connolly, Introduce Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act
Tuesday, February 15, 2011(National Federation of Federal Employees)
Last
week, House Representatives Carolynn Maloney
(D-NY), Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and Gerald Connolly
(D-VA) introduced the Federal Employees Paid
Parental Leave Act, a bill to extend four weeks
of paid leave to parents of newly born, adopted
or fostered children.
Under
present law, new parents are entitled to up to
twelve weeks of unpaid leave. While they may
elect to use accrued annual or sick leave to
supplement their salaries during their absence,
many must choose between a paycheck and caring
for their newborn child.
During
these tough economic times it is more important
than ever that the federal government take a
strong stand on providing new parents with
adequate leave. With home values plummeting,
health care costs soaring, and family members
often out of a job, federal employees are
feeling the economic pinch just as much as
other Americans. To go for weeks at a time
without pay could mean disaster for some
families.
With a
retirement wave expected to hit the federal
workforce in the coming years, it is essential
that the government remain competitive to
attract the next generation of doctors,
intelligence analysts, and scientists. Many
private sector companies and foreign
governments provide a similar benefit to their
employees, leaving the government behind the
curve.
“With
federal pay more than 20 percent lower than
private sector salaries, the federal government
will have a much better chance of recruiting
and maintaining a quality workforce by passing
the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act,”
said NFFE Legislative Director Randy Erwin. “In
order to remain competitive with the private
sector, the federal government must begin to
adopt more family-friendly workplace.”