The following is a statement from Sherry Leiwant, Co-Founder & Co-President of A Better Balance:
“We applaud today’s House passage of the Build Back Better Act. With four weeks of paid family and medical leave that will cover all workers, as well as important investments and support for our childcare infrastructure and home-based care services, this package represents a bold set of policies that will provide critical relief and a permanent safety net for workers across the country who are struggling to maintain their health, care for their loved ones, and maintain their economic security.
The inclusion of paid leave in this package was hard-fought. We cannot build back better—or build back at all—without a national paid family and medical leave program that supports all workers, especially women, who need time to care for a new child, a seriously ill family member, or their own serious illness.
At A Better Balance, we have worked to enact paid leave in nine states and D.C., and we have seen firsthand how these laws are providing a lifeline to workers and their families every day—one that shouldn’t depend on luck or location. Whether dealing with a cancer diagnosis, recovering from childbirth, welcoming a new foster child, caring for a child with a disability, or being there for a dying loved one, these are such important moments in all of our lives. Ensuring that workers have that time without needing to sacrifice their economic security should be a priority for this country as it is for almost every other country in the world.
We thank our leaders in the House for working to pass such a strong piece of legislation, and especially those who fought for the inclusion of paid leave, including Speaker Pelosi, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Neal, and Representative DeLauro. Now, the Senate must take up the Build Back Better Act and ensure its swift passage.”
ABOUT A BETTER BALANCE: A Better Balance is a national legal advocacy organization dedicated to advancing justice for workers caring for themselves and their loved ones. ABB is a leader in the federal Paid Leave for All campaign and has played an instrumental role in passing paid leave policies in states across the country.
