[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 22, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H8536-H8537]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   INTRODUCTION OF THE ``FIRST'' ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, almost 2 years ago, the Congressional 
Caucus on Women's Issues held an important hearing on the subject of 
brain development from birth to age 3. One witness said something that 
day that really hit home with me. That witness was Dr. Edward Zigler, 
the sterling professor of psychology at Yale University, commonly known 
to all of us as the father of Head Start. Dr. Zigler said that there is 
nothing more important to a child's development than the bonding 
between the infant and parents during the first few months after birth.
  I remember how I felt listening to Dr. Zigler that day, because I 
knew how few babies get that kind of start in life. If today's children 
are lucky enough to have both parents living at home, chances are that 
both work outside the home, and it is just too hard, if not impossible, 
for new parents to take time off from work without pay for very long 
after the birth of a new baby.
  I decided right then and there that I would introduce a bill to 
provide paid family leave to all parents. First, I met with Dr. Zigler, 
however, and got his support. Since then I have spent 2 years meeting 
with parents, meeting with parent and child advocates, meeting with 
doctors, researchers, business and labor representatives, and meeting 
with my colleagues to figure out what is the best way to provide wage 
replacement as well as job protection for new parents.
  What I learned is that there is not one best way to meet the needs of 
new parents. In fact, there are many different opportunities to provide 
this benefit. Some States are already providing income-protected leave 
for new parents through their temporary disability insurance plans, 
such as my State, California. Several other States are looking into 
using a surplus in their unemployment insurance funds for this purpose. 
Others would like to build on the existing Family and Medical Leave 
Act. That is why I have introduced the Family Income to Respond to 
Significant Transitions Insurance, or the FIRST Act, which is a 
companion bill to legislation of the same name introduced by Senator 
Dodd in the other body.
  The FIRST Act gives States an opportunity to create paid family leave 
programs for new parents as well as paid leave for other family needs. 
The FIRST Act does not tell States how to provide income-protected 
leave, but it helps them carry out the program of their choice by 
authorizing $400 million to share in the cost of providing wage 
replacement for new parents.
  Mr. Speaker, the recent tragedies in our Nation's schools and 
communities compel me to ask the question, ``Who is taking care of our 
children?'' We all know that during those critical first months it 
should be the child's parents, the child's mom and the child's dad. But 
families are struggling to make ends meet, and our children are getting 
left behind.
  Sure, the Family Medical Leave Act gives parents the right to take 
leave when a new baby joins the family. The fact is, however, that a 
recent study found that nearly two-thirds of the employees who need 
family and medical

[[Page H8537]]

leave do not take it because they just cannot afford to give up that 
income. New parents must not be forced to choose between taking care of 
their child financially and taking care of their child physically and 
emotionally. With the FIRST bill we are taking the first step, the 
step, to answering the question, ``Who is taking care of our 
children?'' For new babies, the answer will be, ``Their parents.''

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