House leaders seek to expand staff’s parental leave

A bill to address paid parental leave for federal employees has expanded to include a proposed eight weeks of parental leave for congressional staff.

{mosads}“The federal government may refer to its leave policies as ‘family-friendly,’ but the reality is that it’s forcing many of its employees to choose between their paycheck and their new child,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), the bill’s sponsor.

All federal employees currently must deplete their annual and sick time to take parental leave, supporters of the bill said.

Currently, congressional offices have the power to exercise their own discretion over leave. The House clerk, the sergeant at arms, the inspector general and the chief administrative officer (CAO) offer six weeks of paid family medical leave, which can include parental leave, Kathy Wyszynski, senior adviser with the CAO, said.

“This bill is an important first step toward giving every federal employee the opportunity to take care of their family members during a time of crisis,” said Dan Beard, chief administrative officer of the House of Representatives, noting that his office does not provide short-term disability benefits similar to those that are offered in the private sector.

Lawmakers who support the bill said parental leave is the norm in most industrialized nations and noted that most U.S. companies provide paid parental leave.

“At a time when more and more parents are struggling to find a balance between maintaining their careers and supporting their families, we must promote responsible ‘family-friendly’ policies that help parents achieve a balance in their lives,” said Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections and a co-sponsor of the bill.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) emphasized that the effort is an attempt to retain federal employees, who are leaving government service in what Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) called a “human capital crisis.”

“Granting paid parental leave for federal workers — a benefit that is commonplace in the private sector — is a simple way to recognize their value to this nation as well as strengthen the government’s ability to compete for employee talent,” Hoyer said.

The bill would also allow employees to use any accumulated annual or sick leave to offset the 12 weeks of unpaid leave guaranteed by the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Chris Good contributed to this article