COMMON SENSE SOLUTIONS

A 21st Century Family Leave Program

There was a time when "balancing work and family" meant that Dad worked and Mom managed the household and the kids. Today, both women and men are working longer hours to make ends meet and more parents are caring not only for their children but also for aging relatives. Family structures have changed and the cost of everything from child care to long term health care has risen dramatically. The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a landmark accomplishment, but it's becoming outdated as circumstances change for Minnesota families. Al Franken believes that 21st Century families require a 21st Century Family Leave policy to deal with 21st Century realities.

Minnesota has the nation's highest percentage of women in the workforce: 69 percent. And the United States is one of only a handful of countries around the world that does not provide paid maternity leave. That means that three out of four workers eligible for Family and Medical Leave Act protection don't take advantage of it because it's unpaid.

Meanwhile, FMLA leaves out millions of workers – and even those covered can't take advantage of its protections for much of the caregiving they provide to aging loved ones.

Democrats have offered a number of strong proposals to bolster this important policy. Al will work with President Obama to get real results for Minnesota's middle class in the Senate.

Al's plan:

• Expand the Family and Medical Leave Act. Right now, FMLA covers employers with 50 or more workers. Al would extend it to cover firms with 25 or more workers – thereby offering its benefits to 13 million additional workers. In addition, he would support innovations such as expanding it to cover leave to care for aging loved ones and offering parents up to 24 hours of leave per year to participate in academic activities at their children's school.
• Create a State Innovation Fund for family leave. The goal is to ensure that every state has its own paid leave program – tailored to the unique needs of each state – by 2016. To achieve this goal, Al proposes a $1.5 billion per year innovation fund to help states offset start-up costs and costs for employers. This proposal would help the millions of private-sector workers in Minnesota who currently do not enjoy paid family leave.
• Provide paid parental leave for all federal workers to set a good example.

What would it cost?
Al Franken's plan will cost roughly $1.5 billion per year. Franken would pay for the cost of his plan without increasing the deficit by devoting a portion of the revenue raised from ending tax breaks for companies moving jobs overseas.