[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 13 (Thursday, January 22, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E126]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCTION OF THE FEDERAL EMPLOYEES PAID PARENTAL LEAVE ACT

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                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 22, 2009

  Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, today, I proudly join in a bipartisan 
effort with Representatives Frank Wolf, Steny Hoyer, Danny Davis, Ed 
Towns, George Miller, Lynn Woolsey, Chris Van Hollen and many others to 
reintroduce the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act. I am also 
pleased that Senator Webb will be introducing the companion bill in the 
Senate as well. This bill will provide four weeks of paid leave to 
federal employees when they have a new child.
  The House passed this important legislation in the 110th Congress 
with a strong bipartisan majority and I am hopeful that we will be able 
to promptly pass the bill in both houses and send it to President Obama 
for his signature.
  More than ever, families need access to paid parental leave. In the 
face of rising unemployment and falling home and equities values, 
families cannot afford to risk losing a job or going without pay after 
the birth of a new child. Families are already squeezed like never 
before and the cost of raising a child is only growing. USDA estimates 
that a family will spend an additional $11,000 in the first year of 
having a new child.
  Few families can afford to forgo a month's pay which is why this bill 
is so critical. If we truly believe in the value of family, then we 
need to value the work that families do. This means that we need to 
stop asking parents to choose between a paycheck and caring for a new 
child. Unlike a generation or two ago, today both parents work outside 
the home and both need time off from work when they have a new child. 
Yet, most do not have access to paid family leave.
  By providing paid parental leave to Federal employees, the Federal 
Employees Paid Parental Leave Act establishes the Federal Government as 
a model employer. This landmark bill is the first to provide paid 
family leave for new parents. It is good for the Federal agencies, is 
good for Federal employees, and is cost effective. Finally, this bill 
signals our commitment to valuing our employees and their families.
  Madam Speaker, I am hopeful that together we can work to value 
families and the work they do and demonstrate our commitment by passing 
this important bill.

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