Vermont Passed Paid Family Leave With Tripartisan Support

In response to news that the Vermont legislature passed paid family leave with tripartisan support in a vote of 90-53, including yes votes from 3 Republicans and a conservative Independent, Ellen Bravo and Wendy Chun-Hoon, co-directors of Family Values @ Work, released the below statement. Please also find more information and details of the bill in a press release from Main Street Alliance following the statement.

“We applaud the Main Street Alliance of Vermont, their partners in the VT FaMLI Coalition, and lawmakers in that state for their work to pass paid family leave. If the bill is signed into law, more than 283,000 Vermonters will have access to 12 weeks of leave to welcome a new child and six weeks to care for an ill or injured family member. That would have an enormous impact on families throughout Vermont, allowing them to care for their loved ones without having to worry about losing a paycheck. We urge Governor Scott to sign the bill immediately and make Vermont the seventh state in the nation to provide paid family leave.

“Affordable leave has broad support across the political spectrum at the state, local and national level, and Vermont is no exception. This bill passed with bipartisan support after powerful testimony underscored the urgency for parents to bond with new children, for family members to have time to care for a seriously ill loved one, and for small business owners to be able to retain employees and compete with larger corporations.

“While we commend this step forward, the bill still excludes a major category, time to care for one’s serious own illness. Several champions in the Senate pointed out the fallacy of including paid leave for someone to care for an ill family member who has no paid time of their own. We applaud the coalition for vowing to remain organized to work with policymakers to correct this in the future.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, May 11, 2018

CONTACT:
Kyle Martel
kyle@mainstreetalliance.org
802.522.7162

Legislature Approves Paid Family Leave Bill

Bill heads to Gov. Scott for Approval

MONTPELIER, VT. — The Vermont Legislature approved a paid family leave insurance bill on Friday when the House of Representatives accepted changes made by the Senate this session.

The House concurred with H.196 as amended by the Senate. This bill that would create a statewide paid family leave program providing Vermonters with wage replacement while they welcome a newborn child or care for an ill or injured family member.

The bill passed the Senate by voice vote earlier this week and now heads to Gov. Phil Scott. The VT FaMLI Coalition, a broad and diverse network of Vermont organizations, calls on the Governor to support the bill.

“Paid family leave is a great economic development strategy for Vermont and shows that we are serious about investing in our main streets and our communities,” said Ashley Moore, Main Street Alliance of Vermont’s Interim State Director. “This policy levels the playing field for Vermont’s smallest businesses and offers tremendous benefits to Vermont workers and families.”

The bill approved by the legislature directs the state to create an insurance program that would provide Vermonters up to 12 weeks of leave welcoming a newborn child and up to six weeks of leave for caring for an ill or injured family member. The insurance program would offer Vermonters 70 percent wage replacement – up to $1,042.40 each week – during their leave.

“There has been a lot of conversation this legislative session about attracting young people and families to Vermont,” Voices for Vermont’s Children and VT FaMLI Coalition Co-Chair Michelle Fay said. “A paid family leave law in Vermont shows that we are serious as a state about protecting the health and wellbeing of children and giving working parents the tools they need to succeed. ”

The program would be funded by a 0.136% employee payroll deduction — just under $70 a year for a person making $50,000 — and gives employers the option to pay the contribution on behalf of employees. Workers that have earned at least $10,710 in Vermont during the last 12 months would be eligible for the program.

“While the legislation excludes time to care for one’s serious own illness, MSA-VT applauds the legislature for their work advancing this bill this biennium and for their commitment to strengthening this program in the future,” Moore said.

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