Biden Administration Looks to Federal Paid Leave

In President Biden’s address to the Joint Session of Congress in late April, the President announced his administration’s policy goals under the American Families Plan. In addition to tax cuts, education reform, and child care support, the proposal also includes federal paid family and medical leave.

Qualifying reasons for leave would include a new child, a worker’s own illness, the illness of a family member, military deployment of a family member, bereavement, or recovery from sexual assault, stalking, or domestic violence.

The program would be rolled out over ten years. While workers would be guaranteed twelve weeks of paid parental, family, personal illness, and safe leave at the end of the roll out period, the President’s plan proposes that workers would be entitled to three days of bereavement leave per year starting in year one. The program provides that 75-80% of weekly wages would be replaced during leave, up to a maximum of $4,000 per month in benefits. The administration estimates that the program will cost $225 billion over ten years.