House Passes Paid Parental Leave Bill
On June 19, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would create a paid parental leave policy for federal employees.
The White House has threatened to veto the bill, even though it passed by a wide margin in the House. A similar bill was introduced in the Senate, but it may not make it to the Senate floor due to opposition from President Bush and several Senators.
The House voted 278-146 to pass the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act (H.R. 5781), which would provide 4 weeks of paid maternal or paternal leave for the birth or adoption of a child, or taking in a foster child.
The bill would also, for the first time, let new parents use their accrued sick leave for an additional eight weeks of paid leave.
Under current law, employees can use only a combination of paid annual leave, sick leave and unpaid leave under the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act for childbirth or adoption. Parents can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid maternity or paternity leave and are limited to 13 days of paid sick leave to care for newborn or adopted children.
You can read a WashingtonPost.com article for more information.