Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today issued the following statement on President Obama’s Executive Order requiring businesses with federal contracts to provide paid sick days to the employees servicing those contracts:
“Paid leave is a long overdue economic policy that will help grow the middle class, protect families and strengthen our workforce. Without it, our nation will continue to forfeit billions of dollars in lost wages and economic growth. Business leaders and entrepreneurs from across the country have recognized the benefit paid leave provides their companies – and Washington is finally starting to catch up. The President’s Executive Order on paid sick days is an encouraging step in the movement to establish a comprehensive paid leave program, but we still need a national policy to ensure that paid leave is available to every worker in America. I will continue to work with our growing coalition to pass the FAMILY Act so that women and men no longer have to choose between a paycheck and caring for themselves or those they love.”
Gillibrand introduced the FAMILY Act (S. 786) on March 18, 2015. The bill has 18 cosponsors in the Senate and U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro has introduced the companion legislation in the House.