Obama Administration Backs Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act
Thursday, June 4, 2009(National Federation of Federal Employees)
Wednesday, the Office
of Management and Budget issued a Statement of
Administration Policy in support of H.R.
626, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave
Act. The bill, introduced in the House of
Representatives by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY),
would extend four weeks of paid leave to
federal employees caring for a newly born,
adopted, or fostered child.
NFFE
has been a strong advocate of obtaining paid
parental leave for expecting federal employees,
and will continue to fight for this benefit as
it moves through Congress. The release read as
follows:
“The Administration
supports the goal of H.R. 626, which would
provide Federal employees with access to paid
leave upon the birth, adoption, or fostering of
a child.
Being able to spend time
at home with a new child is a critical part of
building a strong family. The initial bonding
between parents and their new child is
essential to healthy child development and
providing a firm foundation for the child’s
success in life. Measures that support these
relationships strengthen our families, our
communities, and our nation. The Federal
government should reflect its commitment to
these core values by helping Federal employees
to care for their families as well as serve the
public. Providing paid parental leave has been
successfully employed by a number of
private-sector employers, and can help to make
job opportunities accessible to more workers.
The Administration is currently reviewing existing Federal leave policies to determine the extent of their gaps and limitations. The Administration looks forward to working with Congress to refine the details of this legislation to make sure it meets the needs of Federal agencies and employees, as well as their families.”
Click Here to View the
Statement of Administration
Policy