National Partnership for Women & Families Action Fund & Paid Leave for All Action Congressional Scorecard Released

The second-ever Paid Leave Scorecard released today finds that a broad majority of freshmen Democrats in Congress support — or champion — paid leave.

Washington, D.C. — The second-ever Paid Leave Scorecard by the National Partnership for Women & Families Action Fund and Paid Leave for All Action highlights where members of Congress stand on efforts to support the creation of a national paid family and medical leave program.

This year, they are scoring three bills: the FAMILY Act (H.R. 3481/S. 1714), the Job Protection Act (H.R. 694/S. 210), and the Caring for All Families Act (H.R. 789/S. 242), and they are giving a special notation to Members of Congress who have introduced legislation that expands access to paid or unpaid leave, or have led on the issue in other powerful ways. The scorecard found that more than three-quarters of freshmen Democrats support or champion paid leave, showing the popularity and political salience of the issue.

The FAMILY Act is the only bill before Congress that would create a universal, comprehensive paid family and medical leave program and the Job Protection Act and the Caring for All Families Act would make key expansions to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) that would complement the FAMILY Act. 

These evaluations come on the heels of moments where policy makers have come closer than ever to the passage of a federal paid leave policy and public support is at record highs. This Congress has seen the first bipartisan working groups on paid leave in both chambers, the first Dads Caucus, continued state and local paid leave wins, and historic White House commitments to a federal paid leave policy. Recent polling from Navigator and Morning Consult have confirmed ahead of the elections and the start of the next Congress that voters are overwhelmingly in favor of paid leave, and it remains one of the most widely supported policies in the country — and one that would benefit every working family and small business in the country.

The full list can be found here.

“As someone who has been working on the issue of paid leave for years, it’s impressive to see the growing support and momentum for a federal legislative solution,” said Jocelyn C. Frye, President of National Partnership for Women & Families Action Fund. “It is long past time that Americans had access to paid time off for the full range of care needs in order to take care of themselves and their loved ones. We look forward to working with the next Congress and administration on making paid leave for all, a reality.”

“Paid leave has consistently been one of the most popular issues in the country and Congressional action is beginning to match it,” said Dawn Huckelbridge, director of Paid Leave for All Action. “As Baby Boomers age and families are increasingly caring for multiple family members, a lack of paid leave and care supports are some of the biggest sources of financial and emotional stress for working families in America — and voters respond to elected leaders who see them and prioritize their needs.” 

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