Senate Dems offer paid leave legislation

Senate Democrats have introduced legislation to give federal employees six weeks of paid parental leave.

The Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act that Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) unveiled Tuesday, is a companion bill to legislation Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) introduced in January.           

The bill authorizes the office of Personnel Management to draft regulations to increase that leave to 12 weeks. 

“While private companies are beginning to see the benefits of providing paid family leave, America is still the only industrial nation in the world without a program that gives working parents the time off and income they need to care for a new child,” Schatz said in a release. “Our legislation will provide federal workers with six weeks of paid leave, making sure no federal employee has to make the impossible choice between caring for a newborn child and putting dinner on the table.”

In January, President Obama issued a memorandum that directs agencies to allow their federal employees to advance up to six weeks of sick leave for the birth, adoption or foster placement of child. He also called on Congress to pass legislation that gives workers an additional six weeks of paid parental leave.

This story was updated at 4:03 p.m.