Take Action to Support Paid Family Leave for Federal Employees

By -
This week, the Senate is likely to vote on legislation that would include paid family leave for federal employees in the National Defense Authorization Act. We need you to share your thoughts with Senators right now!

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) already passed the House with bipartisan support. It includes FEPLA, the Federal Employees Paid Leave Act. The Act is now in conference committee where a group of senators and representatives will determine which pieces to keep from the House and Senate versions.

Today or tomorrow, Senator Schatz is expected to introduce a motion to include FEPLA in the conference agreement. There may also be a separate motion asking the conference committee to focus on comp time and tax incentives instead of a paid family leave program. These tax incentives don’t encourage new businesses to provide paid family leave, however – they usually just go towards businesses that already have it.

Please call, email, and tweet at your Senators to share your thoughts. Specifically, we urge you to ask your Senators to support FEPLA. The federal government is our nation’s largest employer, and FEPLA would ensure that 2 million workers and their families now have access to time to care for their loved ones during serious injury or illness.

Here are some sample tweets. You can also use these as sample scripts for calling your Senator (202-224-3121 reaches the Congressional Switchboard):

@Senator -- The lack of paid leave puts a huge burden on federal workers, which impacts their job performance and creates higher rates of turnover. Paid leave would improve the functioning of our federal government and the lives of our nation’s public servants. Vote yes on the Schatz MTI! #paidleave4all

@Senator --, the FEPLA provision was fully paid for in the House-passed NDAA, & has a minimal cost compared to the huge benefits to our country. Thank you for supporting our 2 million federal workers - they deserve paid family and medical leave. They care for us every day! Vote yes on the Schatz MTI!

@Senator-, tax incentives don’t increase access to paid leave. They subsidize large companies that already provide paid leave. Small businesses can’t afford to provide paid leave on their own, and they say tax incentives don’t make up the gap. Please support the Schatz MTI in this critical vote!

@Senator --, we're watching how you vote on the FEPLA instructions in the NDAA! We urge you to remember that comp time is not the same as paid leave. Vote YES on the Schatz MTI, vote yes for America's families. #paidleave4all.

Click here to read the letter of support from nearly 100 organizations.

Thank you for taking action today!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PathWays PA E-Newsletter: August 6, 2012

By -
Image
Federal Policy Updates  CONGRESS IN AGREEMENT TO WORK ON A 6-MONTH CONTINUING RESOLUTION Last week House and Senate leaders announced that a deal has been reached to pass a 6-month continuing resolution to fund the federal government through next spring. Details of the agreement have not yet been made public, but the continuing resolution will reportedly fund federal agencies at current spending levels. With both chambers of Congress on summer recess, a vote on the agreement will likely be held in September, before the end of the fiscal year. If this agreement is enacted it will ensure that the government will not be shutdown at the end of September when the current spending plan ends. HELP MOVE THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT FORWARD The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) needs to be reauthorized to ensure the continuation of vital, life-saving programs and laws. It was the first piece of American legislation that recognized the pervasive nature of domestic violence,
Read more

Mini-Budget Update-Supporting the American Community Survey

By MB -
Image
(via The Census Project ) Next Tuesday, June 19 is an important date to mark on your calendar. The Congressional Joint Economic Committee is holding a public hearing on the economic impact of eliminating the American Community Survey (ACS) at 2:30 p.m., in Room 210 of the Canon House Office Building. Witnesses that will be speaking in opposition to the move to eliminate the ACS are Vincent Barabba, former director of the Census Bureau in two GOP administrations and Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Association of General Contractors and also representing the National Association of Business Economists. It is very important that we pack the congressional hearing room! If you cannot come, please urge your colleages to come. If you represent a non-DC organization contact your friends in Washington and urge them to attend. Also on Tuesday of next week some of our congressional supporters will be holding a noon press conference in the so-called House Triangle right outside the Cap
Read more

Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Pennsylvania

By -
Image
Census data tells us that 13% of Pennsylvania households live in poverty. In reality, even more households don’t have the income they need to reach self-sufficiency. One in four Pennsylvania households – over 846,000 – lack enough income to cover just the necessities. Since 1997, PathWays PA has worked with Dr. Diana Pearce and the University of Washington to calculate  The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Pennsylvania . Over the last 23 years,  The Self-Sufficiency Standard of Pennsylvania  has documented the continuing increase in the real cost of living, illuminating the economic crunch experienced by so many families today. Since 2010, PathWays PA and the University of Washington have also issued three versions of the  Overlooked and Undercounted  report, which looks at the number of households living above and below self-sufficiency. You can now use the interactive materials below to find out what it takes to be self-sufficient in your county. Click here  to read the 2020 O
Read more