Washington, D.C. – Joint Economic Vice Chair Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and Chairman Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Subcommittee of Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia held a hearing examining the merits of the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2007 (HR 3799) on Thursday, March 6, 2008 at 9:30am. The Hearing, entitled “Investing in the Future of the Federal Workforce: Paid Parental Leave to Improve Recruitment and Retention,” highlighted the benefits of providing all federal employees with eight weeks of full pay for leave taken for the birth or adoption of a child. Currently, the federal government only provides employees with access to 12 weeks of unpaid leave through the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act, which many workers cannot afford to take. Witnesses included representatives from the federal government, leading policy analysts specializing in paid family and medical leave, unions that represent federal workers, and an employee who recounted the challenges she has faced because of the unpaid leave policy currently in place.
