BRUNSWICK, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) applauded the inclusion of paid parental leave for federal workers in the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The legislation will allow new parents to take up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after the birth, adoption or fostering of a child, effective October 1st, 2020. Earlier this year, Senator King joined 21 of his Senate colleagues in urging the inclusion of paid leave in the conference report of the NDAA.

“Paid parental leave strengthens our economy by helping keep folks in the workforce and promotes strong families by giving parents the opportunity to stay with their child without sacrificing financially,” said Senator King. “The policy just makes sense – but for some reason, America is the only industrialized nation that doesn’t guarantee paid leave to new parents. That’s got to change. The inclusion of this provision to support federal workers is a major step in the right direction on the path creating a new standard that supports both America’s workers and economy.”

Senator King has been outspoken in his support for the Family and Medical Leave Act, and has worked to build on its legacy to support paid family and medical leave legislation. He is a cosponsor of the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act (FAMILY) Act, legislation that would create a social insurance program to provide up to 12 weeks of gender-neutral paid family and medical leave for all private-sector members of the American workforce who have sufficient work history. Senator King is also an original sponsor of the Strong Families Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would create a five-year, 25 percent tax credit for employers who voluntarily offer up to 12 weeks of paid family leave to employees. A version of the Strong Families Act with a two-year window was enacted into law in December 2017 as part of the tax bill.