FV@W Celebrates Comprehensive Paid Leave Provisions from Ways & Means

Family Values @ Work is a movement network of grassroots coalitions in more than two dozen states working to win paid family and medical leave, earned sick and safe days, and affordable, high-quality childcare at the state and national levels. Today, we released the following statement on the House Ways & Means Committee’s markup of the Build Back Better plan:

Family Values @ Work, and our network of 35 anchor groups in more than two dozen states, celebrate the bold leadership of the House of Representatives Ways & Means Committee for prioritizing the needs of working families in the Build Back Better plan. By guaranteeing that comprehensive paid leave and affordable childcare provisions are included in the legislation, the Committee illustrates its commitment to workers and their families and its recognition of the urgency of substantial investments in the nation’s care infrastructure. 

A key component of the Build Back Better plan is the creation of a universal, permanent paid leave program. We are thrilled that the Committee has built on the evidence and lessons from state paid leave programs and is committed to reaching every worker. We hope the final policy, as this version does, will:

• Cover all four FMLA-covered reasons for leave, 
• Be universal, 
• Recognize all families, 
• Allow for up to 12 weeks’ leave as soon as the program goes into effect, and 
• Replace wages in a way that is progressive and makes leave affordable. 

We welcome the requirement that employers can receive reimbursement only if their policy is as good as the federal program, and the guarantee that their employees who take leave have the right to return to the same or equivalent job.

We also praise the childcare provisions included in the bill language. The legislation would create mechanisms to ensure that parents and caregivers have the most useful and up-to-date information on available child care options and can easily apply for open slots. It would raise the wages of child care workers, who often live in poverty, and fund the construction and remodeling of child care facilities to make them safer. Collectively, these provisions will expand support for parents and caregivers, and will increase economic stability for childcare workers. 

In addition to childcare and paid leave, the Committee is also proposing provisions to protect those most impacted by the lack of care investments. Plans to strengthen retirement security, improve elder health, and protect aging adults and those with disabilities underscore the Committee’s dedication to centering people in our economic recovery. FV@W fully supports significant new investments in child tax credits, health care, college access, reversing climate change, and other elements in the Build Back Better package and its reliance on fairer taxes for wealthy individuals and big corporations. 

We are so close to realizing the dream of workers nationwide of having an inclusive federal paid leave policy and greater access to childcare. With this bill markup, we are one step closer to creating a new economy––one founded on an infrastructure of care, equity, and respect. The Ways & Means Committee is helping move us to the day when the shared prosperity that we have earned––including living wages, access to healthcare and child care, and paid family and medical leave––is enjoyed by every working family. 

Committee Chairman Neal and his colleagues are to be commended, and we thank them for their crucial support of families. FV@W will continue to work to ensure that our collective hope for a stronger care infrastructure and inclusive economy becomes a reality.

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