Skip to Content

Press Releases

Pennsylvania state icon

House Bipartisan Paid Family Leave Working Group Holds First Meeting on Legislative Framework Pillars

The virtual meeting focused on the working group’s first pillar, a public-private partnership pilot

Washington, February 1, 2024
  • Paid Family Leave Working Group Logo

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, members of the House bipartisan Paid Family Leave Working Group, co-chaired by Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Stephanie Bice (R-OK), hosted a virtual roundtable with various stakeholders to discuss how public-private partnerships at the state level could play a role in expanding access to paid family leave. The idea of a public-private partnership pilot is the first pillar of the working group’s legislative framework, which was released earlier this year.

 

“The working group's legislative framework was the result of a year's worth of important conversations. One of the four pillars in that legislative framework is a public-private partnership pilot," said co-chairs Houlahan and Bice. "Now, as we begin to drill down into specific recommendations, we were honored to hear from a host of stakeholders ranging from the Department of Labor, to states with existing paid leave programs, to private sector partners, and policy experts.”

 

Participants included:

  • Wendy Chun-Hoon, Director, Women’s Bureau, Department of Labor
  • Jocelyn Frye, President, National Partnership for Women & Families
  • Ben Gitis, Associate Director, Bipartisan Policy Center
  • Cindy Goff, Vice President, Supplemental Benefits and Group Insurance at the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI).
  • Jordan Jordanov, Vice President Group Products, American Fidelity
  • Catherine (Cassie) Keane, Deputy Commissioner of Administrative Services, New Hampshire
  • Holly Low, Director of Strategic Outreach and Partnerships, New Jersey Department of Labor
  • Curran McSwigan, Senior Economic Policy Advisor, Third Way
  • James Slotnick, Vice President, Government Relations & Sustainability, Sun Life U.S.

 

In addition to Co-Chairs Houlahan and Bice, the evenly divided House group includes Representatives Colin Allred (D-TX), Mariannette Miller-Meeks, M.D. (R-IA), Haley Stevens (D-MI), and Julia Letlow (R-LA).

 

The House bipartisan Paid Family Leave Working Group was launched in January of 2023 to explore federal paid family leave policies. Supported by the Bipartisan Policy Center and other organizations, the working group’s mission is to bring more paid leave to more Americans through enduring policy solutions.

 

###