Senate HELP Committee Takes Action for Working People!
Last Wednesday, June 21, I sat with a large cup of coffee, ready to tune into the live stream of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee legislative markup. For the less policy-nerdy reader, let’s start with what a legislative markup is.
Once a piece of legislation is introduced, in either the House or the Senate, it is sent over (referred) to the “committee of jurisdiction” – aka the committee that has authority (jurisdiction) over a particular issue. During a markup, committee members can offer amendments to the legislation and then vote to send the bill(s) to the legislative body (in this case, that would be the Senate).
Last week’s markup was a continued commitment from some of our elected officials to make working in America about more than our jobs, as we are all so much more than our labor. The HELP Committee marked up the Healthy Families Act (S.1664), the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 728), and the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2023 (S. 567).
These three bills would enact three essential protections: 1) the right to paid sick and safe days, 2) protection against sex-based pay discrimination, and 3) easier access to joining a union. All three policies passed out of Committee without any harmful proposed amendments! So what comes next? Process-wise, a Senate vote would take place, and then the process would need to start again in the House. In the current Congress, partisan divides suggest that it would be an uphill battle to get the 60 votes necessary to pass these policies in the Senate, and highly unlikely that the GOP-controlled House would move these bills forward.
However, at Family Values @ Work, we know that these policies are essential for all families, regardless of where they live, how they vote, or who they love. We know from our 20 years of advocacy with our national network of partners that the way to co-create the world we want, with the policies we deserve, is to stay persistent. We demand that our legislators––whom we employ––promote care in both policy and practice; that they demonstrate the power of care by prioritizing the needs of the people and by making care a shared responsibility. We can create a society that ensures the resources needed to take time to care––including paid leave with job security, progressive wage replacement, and affordable childcare––are available to all.
