Women’s Foundation commends bipartisan agreement that would provide first major benefit expansion for federal workers since the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act
KANSAS CITY — The Women’s Foundation today commended a bipartisan agreement, expected to be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives today, that would provide 12 weeks of paid parental leave to federal employees, benefiting nearly 50,000 workers in Missouri and Kansas.
The agreement at the federal level builds on successful efforts by the Women’s Foundation to provide paid parental leave to nearly all state employees in Missouri and Kansas. The Women’s Foundation worked with state officials in both states to provide six weeks of state-funded paid parental leave to nearly 100,000 state workers.
"No one should have to choose between caring for a child and paying the bills, and this bipartisan agreement is a milestone in the effort to expand paid family leave to all families,” said Wendy Doyle, President & CEO of the Women’s Foundation. “Our research has shown that paid family leave improves productivity, reduces turnover, and lowers reliance on public assistance. Paid family leave strengthens businesses and families alike, and we commend the Trump administration and Congress for coming to an agreement that will benefit nearly 50,000 federal employees in Missouri and Kansas and millions more across the country. Over the past several years, the family-friendly policies we championed here in the heartland have helped spur a national movement towards paid family leave that is benefiting families from coast to coast.”
The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act would provide 12 weeks of paid parental leave for all federal employees who have worked in the government for at least a year, the first major benefit expansion for federal workers since the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act. According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management there are 33,377 federal civilian employees in Missouri and 15,672 in Kansas.
Women’s Foundation research, commissioned in partnership with the University of Missouri Institute of Public Policy, found that paid family leave programs prevent families from falling into poverty, reduce reliance on public assistance, recruit and retain talented employees, and increase worker productivity.
The Women’s Foundation’s Paid Leave Policy Research Brief is available here.