Fischer, King Respond to Obama's Paid Leave Proposals

Press Release

U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Angus King (I-Maine,) co-authors of The Strong Families Act, released the following statements on the paid leave proposals President Obama is expected to announce this afternoon:

"Last July, Senator Angus King and I introduced a bipartisan bill -- The Strong Families Act -- that would encourage employers to voluntarily provide working families with more flexibility for paid time off to meet their needs," said Senator Fischer. "Workplace flexibility has become a necessity for 21st century families. It's not just children who require personal care and attention, it's also elderly parents.

"Our bipartisan plan provides a balanced measure that respects employers' costs of doing business with employee needs. It also creates a meaningful incentive structure to encourage employers to provide working families, including hourly workers, the chance to take paid time off. I look forward to continuing my work with Senator King and reintroducing this important legislation."

"Supporting our employees and giving them the flexibility to deal with life's major events will directly translate into a stronger workforce that is better poised to meet the demands of a global economy," Senator King said. "That's why Senator Fischer and I joined forces to introduce bipartisan legislation that would encourage employers to offer their employees paid leave. I welcome the President's contributions to this important discussion and hope that we can make progress on this issue because too many working parents with growing kids and aging parents are struggling to make ends meet and it's simply not right."

Last year, Senators Fischer and King introduced The Strong Families Act, legislation to incentivize employers to voluntarily provide employees with paid parental or medical leave. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 requires employers of 50 or more employees to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave, which can be used for events like the birth or adoption of children, serious medical issues, or providing care to close family members. The challenge for many working families, particularly hourly workers living paycheck-to-paycheck, is that current law does not involve paid time off.

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