WASHINGTON – Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) released the following statements after their federal paid family leave legislation was officially adopted in the National Defense Authorization Act after passage of the rule today in the House. The provision provides 12 weeks paid family medical leave to federal workers to care for themselves and their families.

“I cannot fathom a world where any person, regardless of party, would hesitate to understand the importance of having the best and the brightest people working in and for our government,” said Houlahan. “Our legislation addresses this core issue: no one should have to choose between their family and career. The government should be leading by example, and today, with this legislation, we are successfully sending a message to all workplaces: paid family leave is an investment in our American families. For me, it’s an inspiring moment when we see legislation being borne from unlikely bed fellows: a concern for securing our supply chain of rare earths helps fund the need to provide paid family leave to all federal workers. This is the type of legislation that my community in Pennsylvania expects from this Congress, and I'm proud to introduce it.”

“The federal government is our nation’s largest employer with more than 2.1 million employees all across the country,” said Maloney. “The federal government can and should be a model employer for the private sector in this area. Now, with the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act as part of the NDAA we can make that happen. When I was pregnant with my first child and asked about the leave policy, the response I got was, ‘Leave? What leave? Women just leave.’ That’s not acceptable. This isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue – this is a family issue.”

“With this amendment, the federal government takes a leading role promoting paid family leave in America, providing much-needed support and relief to working families,” said Chairman Smith. “Thanks to the leadership of Representatives Maloney and Houlahan, the federal government will soon be able to better attract and retain employees who can rest assured that they won’t have to choose between their paychecks and their families.”

The provision would guarantee 12 weeks of paid leave:

• Because of the birth of an employee’s child and in order to care for such child.
• Because of the placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care.
• In order to care for the spouse, child, or parent of the employee, if such spouse, child, or parent has a serious health condition.
• Because of a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the functions of the employee’s position.
• Because of any qualifying urgent need arising from the fact that the employee’s spouse, child, or parent is on covered active duty (or has been notified of an impending call or order to covered active duty) in the Armed Forces.

Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, an engineer, a serial entrepreneur, an educator, and a nonprofit leader. She’s in her first term representing Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Small Business Committee.

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