Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act Of 2009

Floor Speech

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Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I might consume.

Madam Chair, this bill allows OPM, that is the Office of Personnel Management, to increase the amount of paid parental leave up to 8 weeks. It allows this after considering a variety of factors: benefits to the Federal Government, cost to the Federal Government, trends in the private sector, the government's role as a model employer, and such other factors as the director considers necessary.

This amendment, Madam Chair, will require the Office of Personnel Management to consider the needs of some of our lower-level employees. This amendment would not require any additional funding. It merely requires the office to consider the impact that increasing the number of weeks will have on some of our lower-level employees.

Now, I would like to introduce a term that I'm not exceedingly pleased with. It is called a ``poverty spell.'' A poverty spell is defined as entering poverty for at least 2 months. Twenty-five percent of all poverty spells begin with the birth of a child, 25 percent. I would also note that 78 percent of the persons who are eligible for FMA, this leave that we have been discussing today, do not take it because they cannot afford to lose a paycheck.

No one should go into poverty because of the birth of a child if we can prevent it. This bill will help many of our lower-level employees avoid a poverty spell.

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