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Washington, DC -- Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5781, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act, which would provide four weeks of paid parental leave to federal employees for the birth or adoption of a child. Congressman Sarbanes is a cosponsor of the bill and, as a member of the Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, had fought to move the legislation through the Congress. The bill has been referred to the Senate for further consideration.
“Providing workers with a reasonable amount of time to care for a newborn child is not an extravagance,” said Congressman Sarbanes. “Most families depend on two wage earners to make ends meet. We shouldn’t force them to choose between the career of their dreams or their dreams of a family.”
With more than 1.8 million employees, the federal government is the nation’s largest employer. In both the public and private sectors, the United States is behind the rest of the world when it comes to parental leave policies. This bill will help set an example for these policies in the private sector and ensure that the federal government remains competitive in recruiting and retaining qualified employees.
“The federal government should be leading the way in family-friendly workplace policies,” said Congressman Sarbanes.
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