WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), co-chair of the bipartisan House Paid Leave Working Group, released legislative text of the I-PLAN, one of the group’s key pillars, intended to prepare and inspire the 119th Congress to address paid leave.  

“My co-chair Representative Bice and I want to ensure that the next Congress takes paid leave as seriously as we have through our bipartisan work on paid leave over the past two years,” said Houlahan. “The American people have waited too long for us to solve a major issue that vexes nearly every family in the nation, and in introducing our bills yesterday, we’re putting Congress on notice that we expect their attention and we are giving them a roadmap to take action.”  

Many advocates and partners have supported the Paid Family Leave Working Group’s work. Here’s what they’re saying about Houlahan’s I-PLAN: 

American Benefits Council - “A patchwork of differing state paid leave laws creates a host of administrative challenges for multi-state employers and unintended consequences for employees. Accordingly, the American Benefits Council commends the bipartisan House Working Group on Paid Leave for developing draft legislation to help coordinate and harmonize state paid family and medical leave laws through the creation of the innovative Interstate Paid Leave Action Network (I-PLAN).

“With ever increasing numbers of people working remotely, many small and mid-size companies are now multi-state employers. And major employers often have employees in numerous – if not all 50 – states. To enable an employer to treat its employees equitably nationwide, and to avoid extraordinary costs and administrative burdens, it is more important than ever that state paid laws are made as uniform as possible.

“Working Group members have made extraordinary bipartisan efforts to understand the complexities that arise from disparate state paid leave laws. Release of the draft I-PLAN legislation is a positive step forward in acknowledging and addressing the need for harmonization across states.

“The American Benefits Council looks forward to working with lawmakers in the Working Group to ensure that the I-PLAN drives meaningful, reasonable, long-term and administrable harmonization and that the core pillars of federal legislation to expand access to paid leave are complementary and work in concert for the benefit of employers and employees alike.”

Bipartisan Policy Center Action - “While the rise in state paid family leave laws has provided access to this critical benefit for millions of workers, the distinct requirements of each program present compliance challenges for multistate employers. BPC Action is proud to support the Interstate Paid Leave Action Network (I-PLAN) Act and the Paid Family Leave Public-Private Partnerships Act, which would enhance the operational efficiency of existing paid family leave programs across states, support the establishment of new ones, and promote harmony among them. We applaud the House Bipartisan Paid Family Leave Working Group, chaired by Reps. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), for their leadership on an issue impacting so many Americans,” says Michele Stockwell, president of Bipartisan Policy Center Action. 

The ERISA Industry Committee - “Nationwide employers offer workers generous paid leave, but a developing patchwork of conflicting and inconsistent state mandates makes it impossible to deliver these benefits efficiently. ERIC commends the House bipartisan Paid Family Leave Working Group for recognizing the importance of addressing this patchwork by proposing the creation of an Interstate Paid Leave Action Network. The I-PLAN, if established and successful, would reduce complexity, minimize conflicting state requirements, and make it easier for employers to offer these benefits uniformly throughout the country,” said Andy Banducci, Senior Vice President of Retirement and Compensation Policy, The ERISA Industry Committee. 

Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality - “Paid leave makes sense—for workers, families, and businesses. Without a universal, national paid leave policy, state paid leave programs bridge the gap for low-income workers who have the least access to employer paid leave. Yet, at least 30 percent of workers are unsure if they have access to leave, and uncertainty about eligibility can prevent workers from accessing available benefits. Harmonizing our state paid leave programs can help workers navigate our state paid leave system and prevent families from having to choose between their jobs and care. 

I am encouraged to see leaders from the business community, advocacy groups, and across the political spectrum coming together to recognize the urgency of paid leave. The proposal also recognizes the importance of investing in state paid leave programs. Strengthening these programs is a crucial step toward building systems that provide meaningful support for working people and their families. 

Led by Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Congresswoman Stephanie Bice (R-OK), the House Bipartisan Paid Family Leave Working Group’s I-PLAN proposal is a promising step. Paid leave enjoys widespread support across party lines because it’s about values we all share: family, health, and opportunity. While there is still work ahead, I am optimistic that this collaboration will build momentum toward effective, comprehensive paid leave policies. Paid leave isn’t a partisan issue — it’s a national one. I look forward to working with policymakers to ensure every worker in this country gains access to paid leave,” said Lelaine Bigelow, Executive Director of the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality. 

HR Policy Association - “HRPA commends the Bipartisan Working Group's progress, moving from a framework to legislative text, and we look forward to working with stakeholders through introduction in the 119th Congress. The text includes the establishment of an "Interstate Paid Leave Action Network (I-PLAN)" to coordinate and harmonize paid leave benefits across states, which would address the state patchwork issue that employers currently confront. This initiative contributes to creating a unified and streamlined approach to paid leave benefits,” said Tim Bartl, Chief Executive Officer, HR Policy Association. 

National Partnership for Women and Families - “States have led the way on paid leave for two decades, with fourteen states including the District of Columbia guaranteeing access to paid leave to nearly all workers so that they have the time they need to care for themselves and their families. The IPLAN discussion draft is an important step toward improving coordination across state paid leave programs by providing resources for technology upgrades and data sharing and ultimately making it easier for workers to access the paid leave benefits to which they are entitled. I commend Representative Houlahan and the entire House Bipartisan Paid Family Leave Working Group for their hard work on the IPLAN draft and for coming to the table to develop bipartisan consensus on a proposal that will help accomplish the dual goal of helping workers to access paid leave and employers to provide paid leave. We look forward to continued discussion of this concept to make sure it creates the best possible outcomes for workers, and we also reiterate our commitment to passing legislation that will guarantee paid family and medical leave for every worker across the country, regardless of where they live,” said Jocelyn Frye, President, National Partnership for Women and Families. 

Paid Leave for All - "Paid leave is one of the most widely supported policies in the country, across party lines and walks of life. We applaud the House Bipartisan Paid Family Leave Working Group in continuing important dialogue and to work toward substantive progress, and we are especially pleased with the support of state programs and state leadership in this moment. Every state paid leave win builds the evidence, the field, and the momentum toward the federal policy we remain committed to,” said Dawn Huckelbridge, Founder and Director of Paid Leave for All.

Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) - “SHRM applauds the hard work of the House bipartisan Paid Family Leave Working Group on the release of the legislative text for the Interstate Paid Leave Action Network Act of 2024, or the ‘I–PLAN Act.’ We commend the Working Group’s commitment to addressing the challenges created by the patchwork of state and local regulations. By working towards regulatory consistency and harmonization, more organizations will be able to offer robust paid family and medical leave benefits. 

SHRM research indicates that both employers and employees recognize the organizational value of leave in helping workers recover, mitigating fatigue, and preventing potential burnout. Additionally, 81% of employers rated “Leave Benefits” as either 'extremely important’ or ‘very important’ to their workforces, second only to ‘Health Care-Related Benefits.’ SHRM stands ready to assist the Working Group as they continue this longstanding conversation. At SHRM, we prioritize policy over politics and view this effort as an example of bipartisan cooperation that should serve as a new model of productivity and civility in Congress,” said Emily M. Dickens, Chief of Staff, Head of Government Affairs, and Corporate Secretary, SHRM. 

Third Way - “As states continue to implement their own paid leave programs, we are seeing a fragmented system of laws and regulations for employers to navigate. The working group’s Interstate Paid Leave Action Network (I-PLAN) supports coordination between federal, state, and private programs— an effort which will make it easier for workers to access essential paid leave benefits. By harmonizing state efforts, I-PLAN also lays the groundwork for seamless implementation of comprehensive federal efforts in the future,” said Zach Moller, Director of the Economic Program at Third Way.

While state paid leave programs share a common purpose – to provide workers with access to paid leave benefits – their lack of uniformity and connectivity has led to inequity, unpredictability, and confusion for employees, particularly with the increase in hybrid work and employees who work in multiple states. The I-PLAN Act would bring state paid leave programs together in pursuit of an interstate agreement to drive improvements in the coordination and harmonization of these benefits and improve worker access. 

“My district is home to people who live here but work in New Jersey, Delaware, and even New York — each of which have their own state paid family and medical leave programs,” said Houlahan. “And like every one of my colleagues in the House, I represent people who work fully remote for corporations based all over the nation. No matter where you live or work, you should be able to easily access and fully enjoy paid family leave benefits available to you.”            

The I-PLAN Act would: 

• Help employees access and navigate benefits available to them; 

• Harmonize differences in policy and operation to eliminate confusing, inconsistent, and inefficient variation across state leave programs; 

• Develop an electronic system for state paid leave programs so they can communicate with each other, exchange data, and enhance program integrity, laying the groundwork to facilitate the portability of benefits for employees. 

• Create a single process for state programs to process claims for eligible individuals who have work histories across multiple I-PLAN member states so that these individuals can receive benefits from one primary state program. 

• Support state programs through dollars for marketing, administrative costs, staffing, technology, training, and to support small businesses.  

Click here to read the full bill text.
Click here for a one-pager on the bill.
Click here for a FAQ page on the bill.
Click here for a section-by-section summary. 

The Working Group is seeking feedback on both pillars presented yesterday. Interested stakeholders may submit written comments to PaidLeave.Feedback@mail.house.gov by Friday, January 10, 2025. 

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Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, an engineer, a serial entrepreneur, an educator, and a nonprofit leader. She represents Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. She is the recipient of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award which “recognizes members who demonstrate the bipartisan leadership and constructive governing necessary to move our country forward” and the Congressional Management Foundation’s 2022 Democracy Award for best Constituent Services in Congress.