Parental leave measure clears House

New Capitol Hill parents are one step closer to getting paid for a portion of their parental leave, following passage Thursday of legislation in the House that would pay federal employees for four out of the 12 weeks they receive to take care of a newborn or newly adopted child.

{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.

The measure received a veto threat earlier in the week from the White House Office of Management and Budget, which said that federal employees are able to accrue enough paid leave time that they can use for their parental leave, and called the measure “costly” and “unnecessary.”

Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) introduced companion legislation in the Senate at the beginning of the week.

If enacted, the measure would be enforced by the Chief Administrative Officer, Dan Beard.

“This legislation fills a significant gap in our employee benefits portfolio,” Beard said. “I can assure you we will have no problems implementing the legislation as written and I hope it will be enacted by the Congress and signed into law as soon as practicable.”