Washington, DC – Last week, Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) introduced the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act (S. 354), a bill that would amend the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to provide all federal employees with four weeks of paid parental leave when caring for a newly born or adopted child. The same legislation was also introduced in the House by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY). The House version is bill number H.R. 626.
Currently, federal employees are not offered any paid leave when caring for a newly born or adopted child. Under current law, new parent(s) are only allowed up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave and may use their annual and sick leave to supplement the lost wages. Upon return from such FMLA leave, an employee must be returned to the same position or to an “equivalent position with equivalent benefits, pay, status, and other terms and conditions of employment.”
“Passage of this bill is long overdue,” said NFFE National President Richard N. Brown. “The federal government needs to do more to recruit the best and brightest workforce. A paid parental leave benefit is a simple and relatively inexpensive way to make the federal government a much more attractive place to work for people with or expecting children.”
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Link to the House bill: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h626ih.txt.pdf
Link to the Senate bill: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:s354is.txt.pdf