D.C. Seeks to Approve ‘Most Generous’ Paid Family Leave in the Country

Ireland and parents” by Shane Adams licensed under CC BY 2.0

Source: The Atlantic

A new rule for very generous paid leave might go through this week in the District of Colombia.

The new law would provide parents who work in private sector with up to 11 weeks of paid leave, and up to 90 percent of their full wages, covering care for newborns and adopted children. That also includes 8 weeks leave to care for ill family members.

The money would likely come from a .62 percent increase in employer payroll taxes, and the program would be monitored by the mayor’s office.

But both the Mayor, Muriel Bowser, and the city Chamber of Commerce are skeptical about the measure. Its cost would be millions and it would take years to set up a new body to manage the program, Bowser argued.

“It would be the fifth largest expenditure for the city,” she said in an interview.

Those who penned the proposal sought alternatives for the plan to overcome major criticisms of the cost for the program, and criticism of the weight that would fall on the shoulders of employers.

Read full story at: The Atlantic

Children & Families, News
Children & Families, News