DeLauro Statement on Connecticut Appropriations Committee Advancing Paid Family and Medical Leave

NEW HAVEN, CT—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) released the following statement today on the Connecticut Appropriations Committee vote to advance paid family and medical leave:

“Congratulations and thank you to members of the Connecticut Appropriations Committee who voted to make Connecticut the fourth state in the country with paid family and medical leave. Connecticut was a leader when it enacted family and medical leave over 25 years ago and it will once again be a leader by ensuring workers have necessary resources during difficult times. But the ability to provide for yourself and your family should not depend on where you work or what state you live in. Everyone in this country should have that right. Congress needs to pass the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act (FAMILY) so that no one has to choose between a paycheck and caring for themselves or a family member.”

The FAMILY Act, authored by DeLauro and New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, would create an independent trust fund within the Social Security Administration to collect fees and provide benefits. This trust would be funded by employee and employer contributions of 0.2 percent of wages each, creating a self-sufficient program that would not add to the federal budget. The proposal makes leave available to every individual regardless of the size of their current employer and regardless of whether such individual is currently employed by an employer, self-employed or currently unemployed, as long as the person has sufficient earnings and work history.


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