The bill would allow parents of newborn children who meet certain criteria to receive up to 12 weeks of paid leave — something that is not currently offered to families in Pennsylvania under the provisions of the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act.
“As any parent can attest, the first few months after having a child can be stressful and draining. Most industrialized nations provide some relief by allowing parents to take some time off work to tend to their needs without having to worry about how they’ll pay the bills,” Leach said. “Paid family leave is something that all parents of young children in Pennsylvania deserve to take advantage of, and with this bill I aim to change the current system so that receiving those benefits can become a reality.”
Leach circulated a memo to colleagues seeking cosponsors today. The co-sponsorship memo is attached below.
Date: March 28, 2013
From: State Sen. Daylin Leach, D-17
To: All Senate Members
Re: Pennsylvania Paid Parental Leave Act
In the near future I will be introducing legislation to mandate paid parental leave in Pennsylvania. This bill would allow mothers and fathers of newborns, who work more than 20 hours per week at companies with at least 20 employees, up to 12 weeks of leave at full pay.
As you may know, the United States is the only industrialized Western nation that does not require paid parental leave for its workers. Even in this country, only a handful of states require some form of paid family leave. Pennsylvania, as a state, provides nothing along these lines to the parents of newborns.
While the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act allows for 12 weeks of unpaid leave, this is a financially unrealistic option for many workers, particularly low-income women who live in or on the borders of poverty and can’t afford to miss a single paycheck. The lack of a requirement of paid leave in current law leaves many workers without any realistic leave options whatsoever.
Furthermore, studies have shown that providing paid leave produces significant positive outcomes for parents, children and the organizations for which they work. I believe that Pennsylvania can and should become the first state in the nation to truly embrace the concept of “family values” by requiring fully paid parental leave for its workers.